Was over at Augsburg on Wednesday night to catch scrimmage between the host Auggies and UW-River Falls out of the WIAC. I knew this would be an interesting get-together of two teams that both have some young faces and are both seeking to make amends from last year. I certainly wasn't disappointed when things wrapped up for the night either.
1st Scrimmage
Augsburg was able to get an early advantage in this first scrimmage although the Falcons were never in any early danger of falling way behind. A score in the paint by freshman post Hannah Steinhaus at the 19:02 mark and a "3" by junior guard Ashley Anfinson from the top of the key had the Auggies up 5-3 by the 17:27 mark. UW-River Falls junior guard Richelle Mehus' steal and lay-up the other way at the 16:53 mark tied the issue at five and then Augsburg junior guard Raeann Sorenson and UW-River Falls sophomore guard Katie Messman each traded treys from the left wing area that had things deadlocked at eight a piece. Augsburg was looking to make a difference on defense on this night and that's where Auggie senior guard Abbey Luger factored into the equation as she snared a steal and dashed the other way for a lay-up at the 14:36 mark and a score in the paint by freshman forward Bridget Bednar had things looking good for Augsburg at the 14:09 mark up 12-8. But the Falcons would quickly erase any signs of early trouble as they embarked on a 7-0 spurt fueled by two scores by sophomore post Taylor Augustine - a score in the paint at the 11:48 mark and a steal and lay-up the other way at the 11:30 mark that now had UW-River Falls up by a count of 15-12.
The Falcons would hold a small lead over the next three minutes before Augsburg was finally able to capture some momentum and gain the advantage back for good in this first scrimmage. Trailing 18-16, Sorenson was able to maneuver into the paint against the tall Falcon defenders for a score with 8:35 left to tie things back up at 18-all. UW-River Falls would momentarily regain the lead at 20-18 on Augustine's jumper in the lane with 8:07 left but Auggie junior guard Jenna Orth countered with a jumper of her own with 7:46 left to tie it at 20-all. The two teams would be tied again at 22-all with 6:55 left when Augsburg was able to make its decisive move with an 8-0 run. Steinhaus was sent to the line with 6:27 left after getting where she cashed in on two freebies and then junior guard Destiny Scott was able to snare an offensive rebound and putback of her own miss with 5:46 left. Another score with 5:14 left along with two more Steinhaus free throws with 4:20 left now had the Auggies up 30-22. UW-River Falls was not done just yet, however. Another "3" from Messman; this one from the right corner with 3:22 left and a "3" from lanky 6'0" freshman post Taylor Karge from the left wing area with 1:36 left as the shot clock was winding down whittled the Auggie lead down to a precarious two points but Augsburg would not this one get away. A game-ending 6-0 run by Augsburg highlighted by a lay-up by Bednar that got her fouled in the process and allowed her to get the obligatory freebie plus a clinching jumper from the left wing by Sorenson with just :10 left gave this first go-around to Augsburg by a final count of 37-28.
2nd Scrimmage
You can bet that UW-River Falls Head Coach Cindy Holbrook likely had some choice words for her squad after the first scrimmage and the Falcons came out with renewed purpose and resolve once the second scrimmage got underway. Dominating on the boards early, UW-River Falls opened up a 7-0 lead on the host Auggies by the 16:07 mark thanks to a Mehus "3" from the left wing along with three charity stripe shots by the former Spring Grove standout. Augsburg; despite the Falcons fast start, would not be deterred and slowly began chipping away at the deficit. A "3" by the left, Luger, along with a jumper by backcourt teammate Orth along the right baseline had the Auggies back to within four trailing 9-5 by the 14:03 mark. Another Luger "3" from the top of the key at the 13:17 mark brought Augsburg to within three trailing 11-8 before the Falcons threatened to open up some more distance. Augustine connected with a jumper from near the free throw line at the 11:53 mark and another Mehus trey; this one from the right top area with 11:04 left gave UW-River Falls more breathing room up 16-8.
Right back came the Auggies. Luger; known more for her defensive prowess and ability to wreak havoc by snaring steals, knocked down a jumper along the left baseline at the 10:42 mark and an offensive rebound and putback by Bednar had Augsburg back within striking distance trailing 16-12. Scott connected with a jumper from the right elbow area with 9:15 mark that sliced the UW-River Falls lead down to a scant two points. Two "3's" by sophomore guard/forward Laykn Bauer - one from the left wing area with 8:21 left and another one from the right wing area with 5:46 left - along with a score in the paint by Bednar with 4:57 left, got Augsburg tantalizingly close; trailing 23-22 with a mountain of time left. But just when it appeared the Falcons were on the verge of capitulation, they had some key players step up. Sophomore guard Jessie Van Wyhe drilled a "3" from the left top area with 4:11 left and two free throws by freshman post Haley Rau with 3:39 left upped the UW-River Falls lead back to six at 28-22. Augsburg would still manage to pull within a single digit again on a 5-0 burst with contributions from both Orth and Luger with 2:00 left. A score in the paint for the Falcons by Rau with 1:50 left momentarily had UW-River Falls breathing a bit easier but then more heroics by Augsburg's Luger in the form of a steal and lay-up the other way once again had the Auggies to within a single digit. The clincher for UW-River Falls came with :41.4 left when Karge was fouled and sent to the charity stripe. She connected with her first three throw and, although her second attempt was errant, Rau was there to snare the offensive rebound away from any anxious Auggie and she promptly but the ball back into the cylinder for the game-winning points as UW-River Falls held on for dear life taking the second scrimmage by a count of 33-29.
3rd Scrimmage
The rubber match for this evening would be a shortened ten minute affair and it would be fitting that this one would be tight toward the end. UW-River Falls sophomore guard Hannah Pignato got the Falcons on the board first with her pretty jumper in transition with 9:33 left but a jumper by Augsburg's Steinhaus off the glass tied the game at 2-all with 8:11 left. The Auggies would grab a 5-2 advantage on a free throw by Bednar with 7:22 left and a score in the paint by Steinhaus a minute later. A Sorenson score in the paint with 5:44 left had Augsburg up 7-3 but the Falcons would manage to get to within one of the Auggies; trailing 8-7 on charity stripe shots by Messman and a score in the paint by Karge. Augsburg; using a few more new faces in this scrimmage, upped its lead to 10-7 on a score in the paint by sophomore reserve guard Alison Ranum with 4:15 left. Two scores by freshman reserve forward Savanna Roth - one in the paint with 2:10 left and a "3" from the left wing area with 1:28 left - gave the Auggies a seemingly "safe" lead of 15-9 with just 1:28 left. The Falcons, however, were not quite yet ready to call it a night. A score in the paint by lanky 6'1" sophomore reserve post Ali Clark with :41 left and another one by Rau with just :10 left suddenly had this young UW-River Falls squad down by just two points. Augsburg managed to avoid disaster and they would hold off the late Falcon surge to win this last scrimmage by a count of 15-13.
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