Augsburg wins 2018 MIAC Playoff Championship - Mar 1, 2018

The Augsburg Auggies are headed to the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament after defeating Bethel University, 81-69, in the 2018 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Playoff Championship Game on Sunday afternoon. The win represents the Auggies' first playoff championship in program history and the team's first trip to the "Big Dance" since the 1998-99 campaign.
Senior forward Collin Olmscheid (6'8''-F) scored a season-high 36 points in the victory. The only MIAC player to average more than 20 points per game this season, Olmscheid connected on 15-of-19 shots over his 40 minutes on the court. He averaged nearly 25 points in three playoff games this postseason. Junior guard Kevin McKiernan (5'11''-G) also registered a season-high point total on Sunday, posting 23 points after connecting on a career-best 7-of-9 from behind the arc.
Bethel got off to a fast start, as last season's Playoff champs scored the game's first seven points of the contest. The Auggies settled in after that, however, as Olmscheid made 10-of-12 from the floor for 23 first half points to give Augsburg a 43-38 advantage heading into the break. Jack Jenson (6'1''-G) had the hot hand for the Royals in the first half, scoring 14 of his 16 points in the game's opening frame. Jenson finished as the Royals' leading scorer, followed by Granger Kirkland and Derek Magnuson, who each posted 14 in the game.

MIAC Tournament Final: Augsburg - Bethel 81-69
MIAC Tournament Semifinals:
Augsburg - Saint John's 80-68
Bethel - St. Olaf 79-57

Courtesy of MIAC Athletics