MINNEAPOLIS -- Behind a career-high 33-point effort from Tamira McLemore (JR, Eagan, Minn./Eagan HS) and an outstanding performance at the free-throw line, the Augsburg University women's basketball team advanced to its first-ever Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference postseason championship game in program history with a 79-70 win over visiting Bethel University on Thursday evening at Si Melby Hall.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Augsburg 79, Bethel 70
LOCATION: Si Melby Hall, Minneapolis
RECORDS: Augsburg 22-4 overall, Bethel 20-7 overall

HOW IT HAPPENED
• McLemore connected on 11-of-18 from the field, including 5-of-7 from three-point range, while hitting 6-of-6 from the free-throw line for her career-high 33 points -- her eighth game scoring 20-plus points this season. She added six rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots -- including a key block of a Bethel three-point attempt with 10 seconds left in the game.
• The Auggies rallied from a four-point deficit in the final 6:05 of play, outscoring the Royals by a 20-7 margin. A three-pointer by guard Arianna Jones (JR, Brooklyn Park, Minn./Osseo HS) gave the Auggies a 67-64 lead with 3:20 left, and the Auggies then scored 10 of their final 12 points at the free-throw line, going 10-of-10 from the charity stripe.
• Augsburg ultimately won the game at the free-throw line, hitting 22-of-26, compared to 14-of-24 from the line for Bethel. The teams combined for 49 fouls (25 against Augsburg, 24 against Bethel) in the game.
• Bethel scored the first nine points of the game in the opening 2:42 of play, eventually building an 11-3 advantage before Augsburg rallied back with a 12-2 run to take its first lead, 15-13 with 2:56 left in the opening quarter. Bethel scored the last seven points of the frame to take a 20-15 lead, but the Auggies outscored the Royals 24-12 in the second quarter to take a 39-32 lead into the locker room at halftime.
• Augsburg extended the lead to 11 points in the opening three minutes of the second half, but 10 unanswered points by the Royals cut the lead again, and neither team led by more than six points the rest of the way. Augsburg led 57-55 after three quarters, but Bethel used an 8-2 run take their last lead of the game, 63-59 with 6:05 left.
• Jones scored 12 points with five assists, five steals and four rebounds for the Auggies, while Aiza Wilson (JR, Minneapolis, Minn./DeLaSalle HS) scored 10 points with three assists. Kaezha Wubben (JR, Minneapolis, Minn./Hopkins HS) scored seven points.
• As a team, Augsburg hit 24-of-48 (50.0 percent) from the field, including 9-of-21 (42.9 percent) from three-point range. Bethel connected on 25-of-57 from the field (43.9 percent), but was 6-of-22 (27.3 percent) from outside the arc. Bethel out-rebounded Augsburg by a 34-27 margin.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
• Augsburg, the No. 2-seed in the six-team MIAC playoffs, will face top-seed St. Thomas (24-1) in the MIAC championship game on Saturday (2/23) at 3 p.m. at Schoenecker Arena in St. Paul, Minn., with the winner receiving the MIAC's automatic bid to the 64-team NCAA Division III national tournament. The loser will have a chance to receive one of 20 "Pool C" at-large bids to the national tournament.
• Augsburg continued to make program history with its playoff win. The Auggies were playing in their first-ever MIAC home playoff game on Thursday, and added to their school record for victories in a single season, now at 22. Augsburg's 15 wins in MIAC play and its second-place MIAC finish are also program-bests.
• Wilson, the school's career record-holder with 154 career three-pointers, extended her streak of connecting on at least one 3-pointer to 28 straight games, dating to last season.

 FOR THE FOES
• For Bethel, center Hannah Johnson led the way with a 24-point, 12-rebound double-double, going 9-of-14 from the field and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line. 
• Forward Taite Anderson scored 20 points with six rebounds and three assists, and Makenna Pearson scored 12 points with four assists and two steals.