BOXSCORE MINNEAPOLIS -- Leading from start to finish, the Augsburg College women's basketball team finished its 2011-12 season with a 52-31 victory over St. Catherine University in the season finale for both Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference squads on Saturday afternoon at Augsburg's Si Melby Hall.
With the win, Augsburg finishes its season at 14-11 overall (11-11 MIAC), matching the Auggies' 1983-84 campaign (14-11) for the most victories in a single season in the school's varsity women's basketball history (since 1972-73). The 11 MIAC wins also matches the 1983-84 (11-9) and 1984-85 (11-9) seasons for the most conference wins in a single season in Augsburg history.
Under first-year head coach
Bill McKee and first-year assistants Katie Alsdurf and Larissa Parr, the Auggies' 14 wins this season also equaled the number of Auggie victories in the prior three seasons combined (14-61). The 2011-12 campaign marked the first double-digit win season for Augsburg since 2000-01 (11-13), the seventh double-digit win campaign in the varsity era (since 1972-73), and its first .500-or-above season since 1984-85 (13-11).
On a day where the Auggies' five seniors were honored in their last collegiate games, each played a significant role in Saturday's victory.
Guard
Serenae Levine (SR, Eden Prairie, Minn.) capped off her career with a 14-point, seven-rebound, five-assist, two-steal effort, finishing her career as one of the top all-around players in school history. In 95 career games at Augsburg (85 starts), Levine finished third in school history in career scoring with 1,032 points -- one of six 1,000-point scorers in Augsburg women's basketball history. She also finished second in school history in assists with 374, eighth in school history in career rebounds with 576, and 11th in school history in steals with 160.
Fellow guard
Lexi Thompson (SR, St. Michael, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville HS) matched Levine's game-high point total with 14 on Saturday, adding five steals, four rebounds and an assist. Playing every one of the 100 games in her four seasons at Augsburg (79 starts), Thompson finished sixth in school history in career steals with 176, while scoring 549 points, contributing 156 assists and recording 366 rebounds.
Post player
Brittany Dyshaw (SR, Eagan, Minn.) capped her career with a six-point, eight-rebound, four-steal and two-block performance on Saturday. She finished her three-season Augsburg career (72 games, 57 starts) fifth in school history in career steals with 178, sixth in school history in career blocked shots with 56 and 17th in school history in career rebounds with 436, while also contributing 664 career points and 83 career assists.
Post player
Nikki Borkhuis (SR, Watertown, S.D.) scored four points with a game-high six steals and four rebounds. She finished her two seasons at Augsburg (49 games, 48 starts) wtih 226 points, 201 rebounds, 59 assists and 71 steals.
Guard
Kandace Bostick (SR, Minneapolis, Minn./Burnsville HS) capped her career with an eight-point, four-assist, five-rebound performance. In her two seasons at Augsburg (40 games, two starts), she recorded 73 points, 41 rebounds, 21 assists and 20 steals.
As a team, Augsburg led from start-to-finish on Saturday, forcing 32 St. Catherine turnovers and converting 23 steals -- the most steals in a single game for Augsburg since 24 in a game at Macalester on Jan. 3, 2001. Augsburg scored 28 points off of turnovers in the game, including 21 of Augsburg's 25 points in the first half, as the Auggies built a 23-15 lead at intermission.
Augsburg pulled away to lead by as many as 25 points late in the game. The Auggies connected on 35.6 percent shooting from the field (21-of-59), while holding St. Catherine to 25.6 percent (11-of-43). St. Catherine outrebounded Augsburg by a 38-37 margin.
St. Catherine (1-24 overall, 0-22 MIAC) was led by Adele Simerson-Wallfred (JR, St. Paul, Minn./Highland Park HS), who had six points and six rebounds, and Sarina Baker (FY, Plymouth, Minn./Minnehaha Academy HS), who had six points and five rebounds.
