Men's Basketball 1/14/09 -- Carleton 66, Augsburg 64
NORTHFIELD, Minn. (1/14/09) -- Augsburg College's three-game Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men's basketball winning streak was snapped on Wednesday night in Northfield as Carleton College claimed a 66-64 win over the Auggies. The two evenly matched teams shot an identical 48.1 percent (25-of-52) from the floor and battled down to the final seconds of action.
Augsburg (7-6 overall, 5-3 MIAC) was led by Nate Alm (SR, Eden Prairie, Minn.), who recorded a team-leading 17 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Also scoring in double figures for the Auggies was Matthew Quammen (SO, Victoria, Minn./Holy Family HS) and Andy Grzesiak-Grimm (FY, Wyoming, Minn./St. Francis HS). Quammen scored a career-high 16 points, connecting on 5-for-7 from behind the arc, while Grzesiak-Grimm posted 10 points and five rebounds.
Carleton (9-3 overall, 5-2 MIAC) had four players finish in double figures, led by Zach Johnson (SR, Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview), who scored a game-high 18 points and eight rebounds. Blaise Davis (FY, Elk River, Minn.) was close behind, recording 15 points on the night, shooting 6-for-9 from the floor.
The first 10 minutes of action were evenly matched, as neither team was able to build larger than a three-point lead. Carleton used a 7-0 run to build its largest lead of the evening, an eight-point advantage off a three-pointer at the 8:37 mark. Augsburg countered with a 10-3 run to cut the Carleton lead to 25-24. The Knights connected a three-pointer with eight seconds left to take a four-point lead into the locker room at the intermission.
The Auggies came out firing on all cylinders in the second half, going on a 16-4 run over the first six minutes of action, giving Augsburg a 52-42 advantage. Carleton chipped away at the lead and regained a 62-61 advantage at the 4:27 mark. Augsburg tied it up with a pair of free throws by Grzesiak-Grimm with 1:21 remaining, but the Knights were able to retake a two-point lead with 1:09 left. The Auggies had two attempts in the final 10 seconds, but were unable to convert a game-tying shot.
For the game, Augsburg outscored the Knights in points off turnovers 17-8 and bench scoring 18-5, but was outrebounded 32-23 and outscored in second chance points 13-4.
Augsburg returns to action on Saturday (1/17) when it travels to Bethel University for a men's and women's doubleheader. Women's action begins at 1 p.m. and the men tip off at 3 p.m..
