MINNEAPOLIS – Powered by a stifling effort on defense for most of the night, the Augsburg University women's basketball team secured a 60-50 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win over St. Catherine University on Wednesday evening at Si Melby Hall.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Augsburg 60, St. Catherine 50
LOCATION: Si Melby Hall, Minneapolis, Minn.
RECORDS: Augsburg 12-12 overall (9-12 MIAC), St. Catherine 11-11 overall (10-10 MIAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Wildcats held a narrow advantage through a majority of the first quarter, but the Auggies tied the game at 12 at the first quarter break. With the game tied at 16 early in the second quarter, the Auggies would go on a massive 21-6 scoring run to close the half and take a 37-22 lead to the locker room at halftime.
• The Auggie lead continued to grow in the third quarter, peaking at 19 on two occasions before the Wildcats cut it to 15 at the final quarter break. The Wildcats showed signs of life as they managed to cut the deficit to just six points with 2:51 to play, but the Auggie defense stepped up one final time to hold them scoreless the rest of the way and secure the double-digit win.
• The Auggies played suffocating defense throughout most of the game, holding the Wildcats to just 17-59 (28.8%) shooting while blocking eight shots and forcing 21 turnovers. The Auggie offense knocked down 23 of its 52 attempts from the floor (44.2%), by comparison. Augsburg won the battle in the paint 30-22 and outscored the Wildcats 24-14 in points off the bench.
• Kalena Myers (JR, Burnsville, Minn./Apple Valley HS) was crucial on both ends of the court for Augsburg, leading the team in points (15), assists (seven), and steals (four) while also pulling down four rebounds and adding a blocked shot.
• Jaley Coplin (SR, Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee HS) and Amira LaDuke (FY, Cass Lake, Minn./Cass Lake-Bena HS) scored nine each with four and two rebounds, respectively. Moriah McLendon (JR, Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview HS) tallied a career-high seven points and added a rebound and a steal while Katie Manecke (JR, Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View HS) scored six points and grabbed six boards.

FOR THE FOES
• Sam Orth tied for the game lead with 15 points while nearing a double-double with eight rebounds.

UP NEXT
• The Auggies will wrap up their season hosting Macalester College on Saturday, February 18 at 3 pm.