MINNEAPOLIS – Fueled by a dominant offensive performance in the fourth quarter, the Augsburg University women's basketball team overcame a 13-point second-half deficit to defeat Hamline University 75-72 in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Playoff semifinals on Friday evening and advance to the MIAC Playoff finals on Sunday.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Augsburg 75, Hamline 72
LOCATION: Si Melby Hall, Minneapolis, Minn.
RECORDS: Augsburg 21-5 overall (19-2 MIAC), Hamline 19-7 overall (16-5 MIAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
• The first quarter was tightly contested, containing seven lead changes before the quarter closed with a 19-19 tie. Hamline took control of the game in the second quarter, outscoring the Auggies 18-11 to take a seven-point lead into halftime.
• The Pipers managed to extend the lead all the way to 13 at the 6:29 mark in the third, but Augsburg brought the deficit back down to eight heading into the fourth.
•The Auggie offense came to life in the fourth, slowly chipping away at the deficit before taking a one-point lead on a triple from Anja Smith (SO, Kewaskum, Wis./Saint Mary's Springs HS) with just 44 seconds to go. The Pipers tied it back up with a free throw, but Smith came through again with the game winning shot with just seven seconds remaining, also drawing a foul on the play.
• Smith finished as the scoring leader with 21 points on nine-of-19 shooting with three rebounds, a steal, and an assist.
• Jen Masello (SR, Darien, Ill./Downers Grove South HS) had an extremely efficient shooting night and nearly notched a double-double with 19 points on eight-of-ten shooting and nine rebounds, six assists, two steals, and a block.
• Selena Lor (SR, Winona, Minn./Winona HS) added 14 points for the Auggies along with a team-high eight assists, two rebounds, and a steal.
• Kalena Myers (SO, Burnsville, Minn./Apple Valley HS) also finished in double figures with 12 points, a team-high four steals, two assists, and a rebound.
• The Auggies dominated in points off turnovers by a margin of 27-12 and bench points by a 24-8 margin.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
• Following the game, Masello, Smith, and Jaley Coplin (JR, Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee HS) rank within the top five in several categories of the MIAC overall statistics rankings. Masello ranks second in rebounds per-game (9.0) while Smith ranks second in points per-game (16.6) and fifth with a field goal percentage of 50.9%. Coplin currently sits fourth in the conference with a three-point field goal percentage of 38.9%.
• Augsburg's 21 wins so far this season are the third-most in school history, having finished with 22 wins in both 2018-19 and 2019-20.

FOR THE FOES
• Lydia Lecher led all scorers with 24 points while Tess Hauer and Chan'el Anderson-Man added 16 and 15 points, respectively.

UP NEXT
• With the win, the to-seeded Auggies will advance to the MIAC Playoff finals where they will host the No. 2-seeded Gustavus Adolphus College at Si Melby Hall on Sunday (2/27) at 2 p.m. The winner of that game will receive the MIAC's automatic bid to the 2022 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament.