Women's Basketball 2/13/08 -- St. Thomas 80, Augsburg 53

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MINNEAPOLIS (2/13/08) -- Carrie Embree (SR, Waukee, Iowa) led all players with 18 points, nine rebounds and two steals, leading the University of St. Thomas to an 80-53 victory over host Augsburg in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference women's basketball game on Wednesday night at Si Melby Hall.

Jessica Katch (JR, Urbandale, Iowa/Dowling Catholic HS) nearly claimed a quadruple-double for St. Thomas (16-6 overall, 15-4 MIAC), scoring 15 points with nine rebounds, eight assists and six steals. With the win, the Tommies remain a game-behind league-leader St. Benedict (18-4 overall, 16-3 MIAC) in the MIAC standings.

Augsburg (6-16 overall, 4-15 MIAC) was led by Melanie Wigen (FY, Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley HS), who scored 13 points with three assists. Shannon Renne (FY, Nicollet, Minn.) and Christa Suedbeck (JR, Hugo, Minn./White Bear Lake HS) scored seven points apiece, and Katie LaGrave * (SR, Okinawa, Japan/Kadena HS) scored six points. Kristina Lurken * (SR, Kenyon, Minn./Kenyon-Wanamingo HS) scored five points with nine rebounds and three assists.

The game was a close one early, as Augsburg rallied from a six-point deficit to tie the game on three-pointers by Wigen and LaGrave at 16-16 with 10:34 left. But that would be the closest the Auggies could get to the Tommies, as St. Thomas used an 11-2 run to take a 31-21 advantage with 3:23 left in the first half. St. Thomas led 39-27 at halftime and pulled away in the second half, leading by as many as 27 points down the stretch.

Chelsea Wirtz (JR, Waukee, Iowa/Dowling Catholic HS) scored nine points and Sheena Porter-Wrzos (SO, Minneapolis, Minn./De La Salle HS) scored eight points with six assists for the Tommies. Thirteen of the 15 Tommies that saw game action scored. Twelve Auggies saw game action, with 10 scoring.

The Tommies shot 45.6 percent (36-of-79) from the field, while Augsburg shot just 29.3 percent (17-of-58). St. Thomas outrebounded Augsburg by a 55-37 margin, dominated in points-in-the-paint by a 40-18 margin, and scored 22 points off of 19 Augsburg turnovers. Augsburg scored eight points off of 15 St. Thomas turnovers.

Both teams return to MIAC play on Saturday (2/16), as Augsburg hosts Concordia-Moorhead at 1 p.m., while St. Thomas plays at St. Catherine at 3 p.m.