MINNEAPOLIS – Winning its 13th-straight game and moving to a perfect 13-0 in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play this season, the Augsburg University women's basketball team claimed a 67-57 victory over Bethel University on Wednesday evening at Si Melby Hall.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Augsburg 67, Bethel 57
LOCATION: Si Melby Hall, Minneapolis, Minn.
RECORDS: Augsburg 13-3 overall (13-0 MIAC), Bethel 10-7 overall (9-5 MIAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Auggies controlled the pace of play early on, scoring the first two buckets and grabbing an 8-2 lead less than three minutes into the game. Augsburg's lead remained at six at the end of the first quarter. The Royals fought back and made it a two-point game at the 9:13 mark in the second, but Augsburg quickly regained control and pushed its lead to as many as 13. At the half, the Auggies held a 40-32 advantage.
• The Auggie lead continued to grow in the third quarter, peaking at a game-high 17-point lead with just 38 seconds remaining in the quarter. The Auggies' maintained the momentum throughout the fourth quarter as their lead never dropped below 10 points and they cruised to their 13th-straight win.
• Anja Smith (SO, Kewaskum, Wis./Saint Mary's Springs HS) finished as the scoring leader for the Auggies once again, notching 19 points on eight-of-12 shooting and grabbing six rebounds and a steal. Jen Masello (SR, Darien, Ill./Downers Grove South HS) tallied 14 points, a team-high eight rebounds, two blocks, two steals, and an assist.
• Selena Lor (SR, Winona, Minn./Winona HS) and Kalena Myers (SO, Burnsville, Minn./Apple Valley HS) scored 12 each for the Auggies with Lor adding four rebounds, two assists, and a steal and Myers contributing four steals, three rebounds, and an assist.
• The Auggies took advantage of 19 Bethel turnovers in the game, scoring 22 points off turnovers compared to Bethel's 16 points. Augsburg also outscored the Royals 21-12 in bench points and 7-4 in fast break points.
• The Auggie defense kept the Bethel offense in check for most of the game, holding them to just 23-of-56 from the floor (41.1%) and three-of-14 from beyond the arc (21.4%).

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
• Following the game, both Masello and Smith rank within the top five in several categories of the MIAC overall statistics rankings. Masello ranks third in points per-game (15.4) and second in rebounds per-game (9.1) while Smith ranks second in points per-game (16.2) and field goal percentage (53.7%). Jaley Coplin (JR, Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee HS) currently sits fifth in the conference with a three-point field goal percentage of 40.9%.
• The Auggies' 13-0 to start to MIAC play this season extends the new program record for most MIAC wins in a row to start the season, besting the previous record of 7-0 set in 2018-19. It is also tied for the seventh-longest active winning streak in all of NCAA DIII.

FOR THE FOES
• Hayden Glander led the Royals with 17 points and 11 rebounds while Makenna Pearson finished with 14 points and Anna Garfield added 10.

UP NEXT
• The Auggies will head back on the road as they are scheduled to take on Carleton College on Saturday (1/29) at 1 p.m. in Northfield, Minn.