ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – The Augsburg University women's basketball team dropped its first game of the season on Tuesday evening, falling 58-52 to Bethel University in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Bethel 58, Augsburg 52
LOCATION: Robertson Center, Arden Hills, Minn.
RECORDS: Augsburg 2-1 overall (1-1 MIAC), Bethel 2-2 overall (2-0 MIAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
• The first quarter was a tight affair as the Royals held a narrow 15-11 lead at the quarter break. Augsburg opened the second quarter on a 4-0 run to tie the game at 15, but the Royals quickly regained the lead and maintained it for the remainder of the half, holding a 29-25 advantage at halftime.
• The Auggies cut the deficit to just two late in the third quarter, but Bethel closed it out on a 7-1 run to carry a 41-33 lead into the final quarter break. Bethel maintained control throughout the final frame as the Royal lead grew to as many as 10 and never shrunk below six en route to the 58-52 final.  
• Anja Smith (JR, Kewaskum, Wis./Saint Mary's Springs HS) led the Auggies with a season-high 17 points on six-of-13 shooting, also tallying four rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. Jaley Coplin (SR, Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee HS) finished with 10 points, six rebounds, three steals, and two blocks.
• Kalena Myers (JR, Burnsville, Minn./Apple Valley HS) and Katie Manecke (JR, Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View HS) scored seven each while Samaiya Buchanan (SR, Minneapolis, Minn./Hopkins HS) led the Augsburg bench with six points.
• The game was a sloppy affair on both ends with Augsburg turning it over 25 times and Bethel logging 29 turnovers. The Royals dominated in second-chance opportunities with 14 points to Augsburg's four and were much more effective in generating offense from the bench, outscoring the Auggies 25-11 in the category.

FOR THE FOES
• Emma Schultz led Bethel with 13 points while Anna Garfield finished with 11.

UP NEXT
• The Auggies will head to Claremont, California for the David Wells Classic with games against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Friday (11/25) at 8:30 pm Central and Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday (11/26) at 6:30 pm Central.