Men's Basketball 1/31/09 -- Augsburg 65, St. Olaf 61
NORTHFIELD, Minn. (1/31/09) -- Led by Nate Alm (SR, Eden Prairie, Minn.), who scored 18 points and pulled down nine rebounds, while shooting 9-for-13 from the floor, the Augsburg College men's basketball team returned to the win column with a 65-61 victory over St. Olaf College in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action on Saturday afternoon at the Skoglund Center.
Augsburg (11-7 overall, 9-4 MIAC) was led by Alm, who posted his sixth consecutive game scoring 14 points or more. Also scoring in double figures for the Auggies were Andy Grzesiak-Grimm (FY, Wyoming, Minn./St. Francis HS) and Jon Cassens (JR, Prior Lake, Minn.), who had 12 points apiece.
St. Olaf (8-10 overall, 5-8 MIAC) was led by the duo of Mitch Haugen (SR, Rockford, Minn.) and Tucker Sheley (SO, Backus, Minn./Pequot Lakes HS). Haugen scored a team-high 14 points and seven rebounds while Sheley chipped in 10 points and three rebounds.
Augsburg used a 4-0 run to start the game off a pair of free throws by Cassens and jumper by Alm -- a lead the Auggies would never give up. The teams traded baskets for most of the first half, until Augsburg went on a 12-2 run over the final six minutes, claiming a 32-21 lead at the intermission.
The Auggie lead stayed between 10-15 points for most of the first half of the period, until Augsburg took its largest lead of the afternoon, a 17-point advantage, off a dunk by Grzesiak-Grimm at the 4:33 mark. St. Olaf picked up its defensive intensity and made a run at the Auggies, as they outscored Augsburg 23-10 over the final four-and-a-half minutes. Augsburg was able to make its free throws down the stretch and hang on for the win.
For game, Augsburg shot 46.9 percent (23-of-49) from the floor and held St. Olaf to 34.8 percent (23-of-66) shooting. The Auggies claimed a narrow 38-36 advantage on the boards and, despite a tough shooting day from beyond the arc (2-for-12), the Auggies were able to capitalize at the free-throw line, connecting on 17 shots from the charity stripe compared to only eight for the Oles.
Augsburg returns to action on Monday (2/2) at 7:30 p.m., when it hosts Gustavus Adolphus College in a key MIAC matchup at Si Melby Hall.
