In winning their fourth game in a row and fifth in their last six starts, the Tommies (9-10 overall, 7-7 MIAC) connected on 57.1 percent (24-of-42) of their shots from the field, including going 8-of-13 from beyond the arc.
St. Thomas placed three players in double figures, including center Nick Schader (Sr., Shoreview, Minn./Totino-Grace HS), who had a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Joey Shimek (So., Prior Lake, Minn.) scored 18 points, going 3-of-3 from the three-point line.
Meanwhile, Augsburg dropped to 6-14 overall and 3-12 in MIAC play, losing its sixth game in a row and 11th in its last 12 starts. A familiar foe struck the Auggies again -- poor shooting from the field. Augsburg connected on just 32.4 percent (22-of-68) from the field, incluidng hitting just 6-of-23 (26.1 percent) from beyond the three-point line.
Augsburg outrebounded St. Thomas by a 37-31 margin -- including 20 offensive rebounds to St. Thomas' five -- but could only convert 15 second-chance points in the game. Augsburg also forced 18 St. Thomas turnovers, but could only manage seven points off those miscues.
Lucas Olson-Patterson (Jr., Minneapolis, Minn./Robbinsdale Cooper HS) claimed his sixth double-double of the season for the Auggies, leading all scorers with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Marcus "Rico" Gholson (Sr., Gary, Ind./William A. Wirt HS) had 15 points, six rebounds and three steals.
Despite its shooting woes, Augsburg built an early nine-point lead, 21-12 with 9:38 left in the first half. But the Tommies outscored the Auggies 22-13 down the stretch, tying the game at 34-34 on a three-pointer by Anderson with 33 seconds left in the first half.
Augsburg again jumped out of the gate early, building a five-point lead, 43-38, in the first 5:31 of the frame. But an 11-2 run over the next five minutes put the Tommies in the lead again, keyed by five points from Anderson. The game stayed close the rest of the way.
Shimek connected on a field goal with 2:51 left to put the Tommies in front 60-57, and the teams exchanged free throws on the next two possessions. Yarzue Slowon (Jr., Crystal, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) hit a driving jumper to cut the Tommie lead to 61-60 with 2:08 remaining, but that was the last points for the Auggies.
Schader hit an inside jumper and was fouled with 1:01 remaining. He missed the field goal but sprinted in for his own rebound, but after a time out, the Tommies turned the ball over. With under a minute to play, Augsburg missed on two 3-point attempts, and Schader pulled down a crucial defensive rebound with 34 seconds left. The Tommies hit 3-of-4 from the free-throw line in the final seconds to clinch the win.
Dan Graf (Fr., Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial HS) scored seven points for the Auggies off the bench, but fouled out. Slowon had six points and four assists.
Danny Peterson (So., New Brighton, Minn./Irondale HS) had eight points and four assists for the Tommies.
Both teams return to action on Wednesday (2/4) at 7:30 p.m. Augsburg hosts Bethel, while St. Thomas hosts Concordia-Moorhead.
University of St. Thomas vs Augsburg College 02/02/04 7:30 p.m. at Si Melby Hall, Minneapolis, Minn. At Si Melby Hall, Minneapolis, Minn. UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS 66, AUGSBURG COLLEGE 60 UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS (9-10, 7-7 MIAC) Neal Anderson 7-12 2-2 20; Joey Shimek 7-12 1-3 18; Nick Schader 6-7 2-5 14; Danny Peterson 3-5 2-2 8; Nate Worrell 0-2 3-4 3; Alex Weaver 1-4 0-0 3. Totals 24-42 10-16 66. AUGSBURG COLLEGE (6-14, 3-12 MIAC) LucasOlson-Patterson 9-18 2-3 23; Marcus Gholson 3-7 8-8 15; Dan Graf 3-8 0-0 7; Yarzue Slowon 3-9 0-0 6; Zac Rosen 2-6 0-0 5; Jonathan Gholson 2-10 0-0 4; Joshua Klem 0-3 0-0 0; Grant Hemmingsen 0-3 0-0 0; Casey Zilka 0-2 0-0 0; Kevin Keto 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 22-68 10-11 60. University of St. Thomas...... 34 32 - 66 Augsburg College.............. 34 26 - 60 3-point goals-University of St. Thomas 8-13 (Neal Anderson 4-7; Joey Shimek 3-3; Alex Weaver 1-3), Augsburg College 6-23 (LucasOlson-Patterson 3-6; Marcus Gholson 1-3; Dan Graf 1-3; Zac Rosen 1-4; Joshua Klem 0-2; Casey Zilka 0-1; Kevin Keto 0-1; Jonathan Gholson 0-1; Yarzue Slowon 0-2). Fouled out--University of St. Thomas-None, Augsburg College-Dan Graf. Rebounds-University of St. Thomas 31 (Nick Schader 13), Augsburg College 37 (LucasOlson-Patterson 10). Assists-University of St. Thomas 18 (Danny Peterson 4; Travis Kalis 4), Augsburg College 12 (Yarzue Slowon 4; Jonathan Gholson 4). Total fouls-University of St. Thomas 11, Augsburg College 17. A-167 St. Thomas wins 4th game in a row and fifth in its last six starts; Augsburg loses sixth game in a row and 11th in its last 12 starts.