BOXSCORE MINNEAPOLIS -- The Augsburg College women's basketball team outscored St. Mary's 24-8 over the final 7:38 and came up just short as they dropped a 68-64 contest to Saint Mary's University in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action on Saturday afternoon at SMU Field House.
It was the final contest of the season for Augsburg, who finishes 9-16 overall (7-15 MIAC), while St. Mary's moves on the MIAC playoffs with a 21-4 overall record (18-4 MIAC).
The Auggies finished with three players in double figures led by
Anne Skriba (SR, La Crosse, Wis./Fond Du Lac HS),
who finished her one year Augsburg career with a season-high 22 points on 9-of-18 shooting from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 performance at the free throw line, while adding a pair of assists and a steal. Skriba led the team in scoring this season with an 11.0 points per-game average.
Also scoring in double-figures for Augsburg was
Jill Tichy (JR, Minnetonka, Minn./Minnetonka HS) and
Jolene Blood (JR, Mounds View, Minn./Irondale HS). Tichy finished with 15 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Blood posted 11 points and matched Tichy's six boards and four assists.
St. Mary's was led by Jamie Stefely, who posted a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
After trailing 38-26 at the half, St. Mary's stretched its lead to 60-40 with just under eight minutes to play. The Auggies put together an impressive end-of-game rally and cut the Cardinal lead to 66-61 after three made free-throws by Tichy at the 2:18 mark. St. Mary's converted on a layup on their next possession to go back up by seven but Augsburg hit another free throw to make it 68-62 with 1:41 left on the clock. Skriba knocked down a jumper with 2 seconds to play to cut the SMU led to 68-64 as the Augsburg rally came up just short.
For the game, Augsburg shot 43.8 percent (21-of-48), while St. Mary's was able to connect on 44.3 percent (27-of-61) of its shots. The teams pulled down an identitical 34 rebounds but the Auggies committed 18 turnovers, which the Cardinals converted into 20 points.
