Game Summary vs. Augsburg / GameDay Online

WINONA, Minn. — There's something about playing the Saint Mary's University women's basketball team that seems to bring out the best in Augsburg.

When the teams squared off the first time around on Jan. 19, the Auggies' Serenae Levine scored, was fouled, and completed the three-point play with 3.8 seconds remaining in leading Augsburg to its first conference win of the season, a 69-66 win over the Cardinals in Minneapolis, Minn.

It also snapped Augsburg's 10-game losing streak.

Augsburg came into Saturday's game at the SMU Gym on the heels of yet another extending slide, having lost six straight — and, unfortunately for the Cardinals, the Auggies again beat SMU in the game's final seconds.

Clinging to a two-point, 51-49 advantage, Augsburg survived three Cardinal possessions in the game's final 1:02 in handing SMU a 52-49 setback at the SMU Gym.

Despite struggling to find their scoring touch in the first half, the Cardinals, who sho 24 percent from the field and made just 2 of 11 3-pointers in the opening 20 minutes, still trailed by just five, 23-19, at the break.

In the second half, the Cardinals' offense came to life, and with it, came the hopes of a season-ending victory.

Augsburg opened the second half with an 8-0 run to push its lead to a game-high 12 points, 31-19, but the Cardinals battled back, using a 17-5 run of their own to tie the game at 36-36 with 11:50 remaining in regulation. SMU would then score eight of the next nine points to take a 44-27 advantage with 9:52 on the clock.

The lead would change hands twice more over the final nine minutes, with Augsburg taking the lead for good on a basket by Crista Suedbeck with 1:07 remaining that broke a 49-49 tie and gave the Auggies a 51-49 advantage.

Jesa Hall (Glenwood City, Wis.) and Cherie Kulig (Independence, Wis.) both had shots miss the mark in the closing seconds, as SMU dropped its second straight to close out the season.

Jess Miller (Carver, Minn.) finished with a team-high 15 points for the Cardinals, who finished the year 4-18 in the MIAC and 4-21 overall. Hall and Kulig also scored in double figures for SMU, netting 12 and 11 points, respectively. Levin recorded a game-high 21 points, while Suedbeck finished with a 12-point, 13-rebound double-double and Lexi Thompson added 11 points.