Men's Basketball 1/17/09 -- Augsburg 81, Bethel 76
ARDEN HILLS, Minn. (1/17/09) -- Augsburg College's Nate Alm (SR, Eden Prairie, Minn.) and Matthew Quammen (SO, Victoria, Minn./Holy Family HS) scored 25 and 23 points respectively, leading the Auggies to an 81-76 victory over Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference rival Bethel University at Bethel's Robertson Center on Saturday afternoon.
Augsburg (8-6 overall, 6-3 MIAC) was led by Alm and Quammen, who both posted season-high point totals. Alm posted his third double-double in the last five games, scoring 25 points and 13 rebounds, while shooting 10-for-15 from the floor and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. Quammen recorded his second consecutive game in double figures, scoring 23 points on 4-for-8 shooting from beyond the three-point arc and 7-for-8 from the charity stripe. Jon Cassens (JR, Prior Lake, Minn.) chipped in 15 points and tied teammate Ben Flavin (FY, Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North HS) with a game-high three assists.
Bethel (10-4 overall, 5-4 MIAC) was led by Tim Madson (SR, Redwood Falls, Minn./Redwood Valley HS), who led all scorers with 33 points and six rebounds. Also scoring in double figures for the Royals was Mike Moberg (SR, Plymouth, Minn./Maple Grove HS) and Cory Laugen (SR, Blaine, Minn./Monticello HS), who each had 11 points on the afternoon.
The first four minutes were very evenly matched at both teams were tied 8-8 at the 16:12 mark. Over the next 10 minutes, the Auggies outscored the Royals 15-5 to take a 10-point advantage. Augsburg grabbed its largest lead of the afternoon at 30-17 off a three-pointer by Quammen at the 5:35 mark. The Royals outscored the Auggies 17-8 over the final five and a half minutes as the Augsburg lead was cut to four at the intermission.
The two teams traded baskets over the first five minutes before Bethel was able to regain a 52-50 advantage with 12:35 left to play. Augsburg again took the lead and built a six-point advantage before Bethel countered with a 9-2 run, giving the Royals a 71-70 lead with 2:21 left on the clock. Solid free-throw shooting by the Auggies down the stretch was able to secure the victory for the Auggies moving them up to fourth place in the MIAC standings.
The difference in the game came down to three-point shooting and rebounding. Augsburg finished 8-of-19 from beyond the arc while holding the Royals to just 2-of-14. Augsburg also won the battle on the boards claiming a 37-24 advantage.
Augsburg returns to action on Monday (1/19) when it hosts St. Mary's University for a men's and women's doubleheader at Si Melby Hall. Women's action begins at 5:45 p.m. and the men tip off at 7:45 p.m.
