Women's Basketball 2/7/09 -- Macalester 73, Augsburg 59
ST. PAUL, Minn. (2/7/09) -- Shannon Renne (SO, Nicollet, Minn.) and Serenae Levine (FY, Eden Prairie, Minn.) led the Auggies with 14 points apiece, but it wasn't enough as Augsburg College dropped a 73-59 Minnesota Intercollegiate Conference women's basketball game to host Macalester College on Saturday afternoon at the Leonard Center.
Augsburg (4-17 overall, 2-16 MIAC) was led by Levine's 14 points, four rebounds and three assists. Renne matched Levine's 14-point effort and connected on a team-leading two 3-pointers, while chipping in an assist and a steal. Also scoring in double figures for the Auggies was Michelle Richter (SR, Chaska, Minn.), who scored 11 points, shooting 4-for-7 from the field, and 3-for-6 from beyond the three-point arc.
Macalester (9-12 overall, 7-11 MIAC) finished with a quartet of players scoring in double figures. Leading the way was Trina PaStarr (JR, Minneapolis, Minn./Southwest HS), who finished with 14 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots. Jessica Rene (FY, Eau Claire, Wis./Memorial HS), Ann Baltzer (JR, Bismarck, N.D.) and Majra Mucic (SO, Zenica, Bosnia/St. Louis Park HS) each chipped in 11 for the Scots.
Augsburg took what proved to be its only lead of the game off a jumper by Richter at the 17:40 mark. Macalester slowly built its lead as the Auggies struggled to convert offensively. The Scots defense held the Auggies to only 27.6 percent (8-of-29) shooting in the first half, as they took a 38-18 lead into the locker room at the half.
The halftime lead proved to be too much for the Auggies to overcome, as Macalester hung on for the 14-point victory. For the game, Augsburg shot 37.3 percent (22-of-59) from the floor, while Macalester shot 40.4 percent (21-of-52). The difference in the game came down to rebounding and free throws. Macalester won the battle on the boards 49-29 and converted on 28-of-40 from the free throw line, while the Auggies were only able to hit 11-of-23.
Augsburg returns to action on Wednesday (2/11) at 7:30 p.m., when it hosts conference-leading St. Benedict in an MIAC matchup at Si Melby Hall.
