Men's Basketball 2/4/08 -- Augsburg 75, St. Olaf 67
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NORTHFIELD, Minn. (2/4/08) -- Jon Cassens (SO, Prior Lake, Minn.) scored 20 points with seven rebounds, and Femi Solaja (SR, Cottage Grove, Minn./St. Paul Harding HS) claimed his seventh double-double of the season and 11th in his two years at Augsburg College, as the Auggies claimed a 75-67 victory over host St. Olaf College in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men's basketball game on Monday night at Skoglund Arena.
Matt Quammen (FY, Victoria, Minn./Holy Family Catholic HS) scored a career-high 14 points -- hitting 4-of-5 from three-point range -- for Augsburg (8-11 overall, 6-8 MIAC), which won its third straight game and fifth in its last seven contests.
Bobby Hunter (SR, West St. Paul, Minn./Henry Sibley HS) scored 27 points with six rebounds for St. Olaf (9-11 overall, 7-8 MIAC), while Brady McMahon (JR, Cottage Grove, Minn./Park HS) scored 11 points with nine rebounds.
Long-range shots proved to be the difference in Monday's contest. Augsburg hit 6-of-6 from three-point range in the second half to pull away from a 33-33 halftime tie. Five Auggies had at least one 3-pointer in the game. The Auggies hit 11-of-16 from three-point range and connected on 53.8 percent (28-of-52) from the field -- 60.9 percent (14-of-23) in the second half.
Over the last seven games, Augsburg has hit at least 10 three-pointers in four of its five victories. Augsburg has hit 60 three-pointers (60-of-146, 41.1 percent) in its last seven games (5-2 record in the span), compared to 61 three-pointers (61-of-203, 30.0 percent) in its first 12 games (3-9 record in the span).
Meanwhile, Solaja claimed his third double-double in Augsburg's recent seven-game stretch with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and hit the double-figure mark in rebounds for the 12th time in Augsburg's 19 games. Entering Monday's game as the No. 2 rebounder the MIAC and one of only two players (Macalester's Tom Conboy is the other) to average a point-rebound double-double in overall season play, Solaja is now averaging 10.9 rebounds and 13.8 points per-game.
St. Olaf connected on 46.4 percent (26-of-56) from the field, but just 45.5 percent (5-of-11) from three-point range. Augsburg outrebounded St. Olaf by a 30-29 margin, and converted 16 points off of 14 St. Olaf turnovers. The Oles scored eight points off of 16 Augsburg turnovers.
David Olson (JR, Lindstrom, Minn./Chisago Lakes HS) scored eight points with two steals and two assists for the Auggies, and Nate Alm (JR, Eden Prairie, Minn.) scored six points with six rebounds. Mitch Dice (SR Savage, Minn./Bloomington Lutheran HS) also scored six points.
Steve Banick (SR, Oakdale, Minn./North St. Paul HS) scored eight points for the Oles, while Matt Christensen (JR, Northfield, Minn.) and Chad Norberg (SR, Northfield, Minn.) scored six points each, with Norberg adding three steals and three assists.
St. Olaf pulled out to a six-point lead, 44-38 with 16:18 left in the second half, but Augsburg rallied to take the lead back, using a 16-3 run over the next 8:01 to take the lead for good, 54-47 with 8:17 left. Augsburg expanded its lead to as many as 12 points down the stretch.
Both teams return to MIAC play on Wednesday (2/6), as Augsburg hosts Macalester at 7:45 p.m., and St. Olaf plays at St. John's at 7:30 p.m.
