ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – For three quarters of play, the College of Saint Benedict basketball team gave No. 16 Augsburg a run for its money.
 
But in the fourth quarter, missed free throws by CSB and a few key plays from the Auggies proved to be too much for the Bennies. Saint Benedict – which led midway through the final quarter – fell 67-60 Saturday afternoon in Claire Lynch. This marks the team's fourth straight loss, and puts the its record at 6-4 overall and 2-3 in the MIAC.
 
The Auggies (10-1, 6-0) led 53-50 heading into the final 10 minutes thanks to a last-second layup to end the third. Neither team scored for the first 3:10 of the fourth quarter, and then Alex Johnson hit a layup and Maddie Schmitz hit a free throw to tie the game at 51-51. Johnson and Schmitz both had blocks, and McKenzie Holgate scored with 5:43 left to put CSB up 53-51 – but that's the closest the last lead the Bennies would see.
 
Augsburg took a two-point lead and Megan Thompson tied the game at 55 with 4:07 remaining, but the Auggies scored at 3:56 to take the lead for good. CSB missed four straight free throws and the opportunity to take the lead, and the Auggies pushed their lead to four, 59-55, with 2:05 left. An Augsburg three made it a seven-point game with 1:37 left, and the Auggies hit two free throws with 51 seconds left to make it 64-55.
 
Johnson scored on a layup and then Sidney Schiffler hit a three with 25 seconds left to get CSB within four, 64-60, but Augsburg went 3-for-4 from the line in the final 23 seconds of play to seal the win.
 
CSB led by as many as seven in the first quarter thanks to a fast start and a 3-pointer from Megan Thompson to make it 14-7 with 6:27 left in the quarter. Hers was one of four threes in the final 3:30 of play for CSB, and one of five in the quarter for the Bennies, who led 21-19 after one. The Auggies maintained a slim lead throughout the second quarter, and a jumper from Thompson made it 36-31 heading into halftime.
 
A three from Hannah Johnson sparked a 9-0 run in the first 1:50 of the third quarter to put CSB up four, 40-36, but Augsburg responded with a five-point run of its own to re-gain the lead. After Alex Johnson scored to put CSB up 42-41, the Auggies went on a 6-0 run that put them up 47-42. Shae Olsen hit a three and McKenzie Holgate scored to get CSB within one, but a pair of free throws and a late layup kept Augsburg up three heading into the final quarter.
 
Thompson finished with 18 points and a career-high eight rebounds to pace CSB, which shot just under 41 percent from the field. Alex Johnson added 12 points and eight rebounds. After going 6-for-9 from long range in the first half, CSB finished the game 9-for-18 from three-point range and just 11-for-23 from the line – including 1-for-6 in the final quarter.
 
Tamira McLemore led all scorers with 20 points for Augsburg and Camryn Speese and Jen Masello both had 10 rebounds. The Auggies hit five 3-pointers and shot 38.2 percent from the field, but went 10-for-16 from the line. Augsburg had 41 rebounds to CSB's 39, and just 11 turnovers while forcing CSB into 22 turnovers.
 
Saint Benedict is back in action and back at home Wednesday, Jan. 8, when it hosts St. Kate's at 7 p.m.