Women's Basketball 1/21/09 -- Hamline 76, Augsburg 70
MINNEAPOLIS (1/21/09) -- Michelle Richter (SR, Chaska, Minn.) and Maggie DeGroot (SR, Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha West HS) each scored a season-high 22 points, but Augsburg College was not able to hang on as visiting Hamline University claimed a 76-70 win in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference women's basketball game at Si Melby Hall on Wednesday night.
Augsburg (3-12 overall, 1-11 MIAC) had career nights from Richter and DeGroot. Richter finished with 22 points, shooting 9-for-18 from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line, while tying a team-high nine rebounds. DeGroot finished with 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting, while adding seven rebounds and two assists. Serenae Levine (FY, Eden Prairie, Minn.) nearly completed a rare triple-double, finishing with nine points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
Hamline (11-4 overall, 8-4 MIAC) was led by the duo of Mary Wilkowski (SO, Savannah, Ga./St. Andrews HS) and Jessica Heinen (SR, Spicer, Minn./New London-Spicer HS), who both posted double-doubles on the night. Wilkowski led the way for Hamline with 21 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, while Heinen finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
The first half of action was evenly matched, with the score tied seven times and the largest lead a seven-point advantage. The Pipers outscored the Auggies 9-2 over the first four minutes of action, but Augsburg rallied to tie things up at 11-11 off an old-fashioned three-point play by DeGroot at the 13:18 mark. Both teams traded baskets for the remainder of the half and went into the locker room with a 32-32 tie at the intermission.
The Auggies started the second half with another old-fashioned three-point play, with Richter able to convert the extra shot. However, Hamline went on a 23-8 run over the next 10 minutes to grab the largest lead of the night at 55-43. Augsburg rallied and cut the lead to four with seven minutes remaining,but the Pipers used on solid free-throw shooting down the stretch to hold off the Augsburg comeback.
Augsburg shot 37.7 percent (29-for-77) for the game, while the Pipers connected on 41.8 percent (23-of-55) from the field. Both teams committed 13 turnovers, while Augsburg claimed a 45-44 advantage on the boards. The big difference in the game came down to the free-throw line. The Pipers hit 27-of-33, while the Auggies were only able to capitalize on 11-of-19.
Augsburg returns to action on Saturday (1/24) at 3 p.m. when it travels to St. Paul to take on MIAC rival St. Catherine.
