Men's Basketball 2/23/09 -- MIAC Playoff Quarterfinals -- Augsburg 65, Carleton 64
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MINNEAPOLIS (2/23/09) -- For the second consecutive game, Augsburg College's David Olson (SR, Lindstrom, Minn./Chisago Lakes HS) scored more than 20 points, recording a game-high 21 in a 65-64 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men's basketball playoff quarterfinal victory over Carleton College on Monday night at Augsburg's Si Melby Hall. With the win, the Auggies will advance to the MIAC semifinals on Wednesday (2/25) at 7:30 p.m., when they will travel to Arden Hills to take on No. 2 seed Bethel University.
Augsburg (15-11 overall, 12-8 MIAC) was led by Olson's 21 points, which included an 8-for-14 performance from the floor. Nate Alm (SR, Eden Prairie, Minn.) posted his 10th double-double of the season, recording 15 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Also scoring in double figures for the Auggies was Jon Cassens (JR, Prior Lake, Minn.), who recorded 13 points, three rebounds and three steals.
Carleton (16-8 overall, 12-7 MIAC) was led by Zach Johnson (SR, Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview HS), who posted 19 points, three rebounds and two assists. Leading the Knights on the boards was Bryan Rosett (JR, Cottage Grove, Minn./Park HS), who collected nine rebounds, four points and three assists. Blaise Davis (FY, Elk River, Minn.) posted a game-high four assists and added nine points.
With a combined eight 3-pointers between the two teams in the first six minutes of action, fans were not without excitement. The Auggies took a 19-8 lead off a three-pointer by Olson at the 12:46 mark. The Knights whittled away at the Auggie lead and regained a 27-26 advantage with just over five minutes to play. Carleton grew its to seven off a three-pointer by Davis with 40 seconds left in the half, but the Auggies answered back with a three of their own by Ben Flavin (FY, Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North HS) with 10 seconds remaining to cut the Carleton lead to four. The Knights held onto a 37-33 lead as the teams headed into the locker room at the intermission.
The two teams traded baskets for the opening minutes of the half before Augsburg went on a 22-2 run spanning nearly 10 minutes of action, which put the Auggies up 59-45. Carleton answered right back with a 16-3 run to cut the Augsburg lead down to one point. On the next trip down the floor, Matthew Quammen (SO, Victoria, Minn./Holy Family HS) nailed a three-pointer to give the Auggies a 65-61 lead with 2:26 left to play. Neither team was able to score over the next two minutes, but the Knights hit a three-pointer with 10 seconds remaining to cut the lead to 65-64. Carleton had a good look with one second left on the clock but was unable to make it drop as the Auggies hung on for the thrilling victory.
For the game, Augsburg had its third-best shooting performance of the season, converting on 51.0 percent (26-of-51) from the floor, while the Knights shot 41.0 percent (25-of-61) from the field. Carleton claimed a 33-29 advantage on the boards but wasn't able to keep up with the hot shooting of the Auggies.
