ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict basketball team gained some much-needed momentum Wednesday with a last-second road win at St. Olaf. Now, the Bennies look to take advantage of that momentum as they head into their last five games of the regular season, starting with a road trip to Minneapolis to take on No. 15 Augsburg.
 
Game time is at 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, on the Augsburg campus. Saturday's game marks on of three regular-season games remaining against ranked teams for CSB, which also faces St. Thomas and Bethel a second time this season.
 
About the Auggies
Augsburg is riding a five-game winning streak heading into Saturday, including a four-point win against St. Thomas – which is also ranked in the top 25 in Division III. The Auggies are 17-3 overall and 13-2 in the MIAC, with their only losses coming to Bethel and Gustavus. Both Tamira McLemore (15.3) and Camryn Speese (13.6) average double digits in scoring, and Speese also leads the team with six rebounds per game. The Auggies are second in the MIAC in both scoring offense (73.8) and defense (60.6).
 
Last Meeting
CSB led the Auggies – ranked 16^th at the time – after one quarter, and kept things close throughout in a 67-60 loss on Jan. 4 in St. Joseph. The Bennies held Augsburg to just 38 percent shooting from the field, but missed key free-throw attempts in an 11-for-23 performance at the line. Megan Thompson led the team with 18 points and eight rebounds and Alex Johnson had 12 points and eight rebounds.
 
The Storyline
The regular season is starting to wind down, and Saint Benedict needs to take advantage of momentum from wins and put together a winning streak to try to keep its season alive. The Auggies have already secured a spot in the MIAC Tournament and are now playing for seeding, while CSB is on the bubble and tied for seventh in the league with a 6-9 conference record.
 
Who to Watch
Both Shae Olsen and Madison Doran had career nights Wednesday in the team's win at St. Olaf. Olsen finished with a career-high points and three steals – including a late steal and a free throw to seal the win – and Doran added a career-high 11 points. Sidney Schiffler hit three 3-pointers and chipped in with nine points, and Alex Johnson had 16 rebounds and four blocked shots.