Men's Basketball 2/25/09 -- MIAC Playoff Semifinals -- Bethel 70, Augsburg 59
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ARDEN HILLS, Minn. (2/25/09) -- Augsburg College was led by 16 points from David Olson (SR, Lindstrom, Minn./Chisago Lakes HS), but it wasn't enough as Augsburg dropped a 70-59 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men's basketball playoff semifinal game to Bethel University on Wednesday night at Bethel's Robertson Center. Augsburg finishes its season with a record of 15-12 overall, its best overall record since the 1999-2000 season.
Augsburg was led by Olson's 16 points, three rebounds and one steal. Olson's steal moves him into 10th place on the Augsburg single-season steal record list with 44 steals this season. Jon Cassens (JR, Prior Lake, Minn.) and Nate Alm (SR, Eden Prairie, Minn.) also scored in double figures for the Auggies. Cassens put up 15 points and a game-high five steals, while Alm finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.
With the win, Bethel (20-6 overall) moves on to the MIAC championship game to take on the No. 1-ranked team in the Division III national rankings, the University of St. Thomas, on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at UST's Schoenecker Arena. The Royals were led by the duo of Tim Madson (SR, Redwood Falls, Minn./Redwood Valley HS) and Mike Moberg (SR, Plymouth, Minn./Maple Grove HS). Madson posted a game-high 29 points and collected seven rebounds, while Moberg finished with the only double-double of the night, recording 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Both teams traded baskets for the opening minutes and were locked up at 11-11 six minutes into the action. Augsburg grabbed its first lead of the game, a 14-13 advantage, off a free-throw by Olson at the 12:20 mark. The Royals used an 8-0 run over a four-minute span to grab their largest lead of the half at 28-21. Augsburg countered with a 7-0 run to end the half, cutting the Bethel lead to 31-30 as the teams headed to the locker room.
Bethel used a 7-2 run over the opening four-and-a-half minutes of action to build a six-point lead. Augsburg rallied back and cut the lead to 40-39 off a jumper by Cassens at the 13:42 mark. The Royals nailed a three-pointer with just under nine minutes to play to take a seven-point advantage, but on the very next possession, Olson answered with a three-pointer of his own to cut the lead to 48-44. Bethel continued its hot shooting over the next few minutes, but Augsburg was able to cut the Royal lead to six with 4:09 left to play. That was as close as the Auggies would get, as Bethel converted its free throws down the home stretch and was able to hang on for the win.
For the game, both teams shot an identical 34 percent (20-of-58) from the floor. The difference in the game came down to rebounding and free-throw shooting. Bethel claimed a 43-27 advantage on the boards and was able to convert on 25-of-29 from the charity stripe, while the Auggies were only able to hit 14-of-20.
