Women's Basketball 2/11/09 -- St. Benedict 67, Augsburg 52
MINNEAPOLIS (2/11/09) -- Shannon Renne (SO, Nicollet, Minn.) led Augsburg College with a game-high 23 points, but it wasn't enough as the Auggies dropped a 67-52 Minnesota Intercollegiate Conference women's basketball game to the conference-leading College of St. Benedict on Wednesday night at Augsburg's Si Melby Hall.
Augsburg (4-18 overall, 2-17 MIAC) was led by Renne's 23 points, four rebounds and two assists. Also playing well for the Auggies was Ashley Erickson (FY, Bemidji, Minn.) and Ashley Thoeny (JR, Golden Valley, Minn./Hopkins HS). Erickson collected a career-high eight rebounds and chipped in six points, while Thoeny was one point shy of a career-high with nine points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field.
St. Benedict (19-3 overall, 17-2 MIAC) was led by the duo of Joelle Waytashek (SO, Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial HS) and Danielle Frank (SO, Caledonia, Minn.). Waytashek led the Blazers with a team-high 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Frank finished with the only double-double of the night, a 12-point, 11-rebound effort, while also recording four blocked shots.
Both teams played evenly matched basketball early, as neither team was able to gain more than a six-point advantage over the first 10 minutes of play. The Blazers took their largest lead of the first half, a seven-point advantage, off a jumper at the 10:46 mark, but Augsburg went on a 7-0 run to tie things up at 17-17. The Auggies took a four-point lead at the 6:33 mark off a jumper by Renne, but St. Benedict battled back and hit a jumper with five seconds left to take a 25-22 lead into the locker room at the half.
The Auggies came out playing well in the second half and cut the Blazer lead to two off a layup by Thoeny at the 14:42 mark. St. Benedict the went on a 29-8 run over the next 10 minutes as the Auggies couldn't slow down the hot shooting Blazers. Augsburg was able to cut the lead to 15 but could get any closer.
For the game, Augsburg shot 38.6 percent (22-of-57) from the floor, while St. Benedict shot 45.6 percent (26-of-57). Both teams finished with an identical 36 rebounds but the Blazers were able finish 7-of-23 from beyond the arc and the Auggies were only able to connect on 3-of-8.
Augsburg returns to action on Saturday (2/14), when it hosts Bethel 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. During Saturday's games, the Auggies will be hosting a breast cancer awareness event benefitting Susan G. Komen For the Cure and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's Pink Zone.
