Game of the Week: Martin Luther at Minnesota Morris - Women's Basketball
UMAC Game of the Week Archives
ST. PAUL -- The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Game of the Week is a feature that takes place each week throughout the conference portion of the season with one contest being selected and highlighted as the UMAC Game of the Week.
This week's UMAC Game of the Week will take place on Friday, January 31 with a women's basketball matchup that features Martin Luther College and the University of Minnesota Morris. The Knights and the Cougars each own a 4-1 UMAC record heading into Friday's game and currently sit at the top of the conference standings. The contest is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in Morris.
About the Knights
This weekend’s meeting between Martin Luther and Minnesota Morris is a battle between two of the four teams currently tied for first place in the conference with records of 4-1 in the UMAC.
The Knights and Cougars have played in a number of high profile games the last three seasons, with the Cougars winning three of the five meetings between the two programs. MLC returns experience on the perimeter, as guards Brittney Gossen, Alex Anthon and Hannah Hackbarth have each played major minutes in each of the last three seasons. Anthon currently leads the team in scoring (11.2 points per game) and assists (44), while Hackbarth has moved to the bench to provide a spark with her 11.1 points per game.
Down low, the Knights are hoping for continued improvement from sophomore Leah Nass, who is averaging 6.8 rebounds per game in UMAC play, and first-year player Faith Schroeder, who averaged 7.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last weekend in the first two starts of her career. Both will need to give the Knights a presence in the paint if they are to come away with a road win this weekend.
About the Cougars
For the second time this season the Cougars will play in the UMAC Game of the Week when they host Martin Luther on Friday at 5:30 p.m. The Cougars and Knights are tied for the UMAC lead with a 4-1 record going into the game.
Since 2009 the Cougars are 8-2 against the Knights but hold just a 3-2 lead in the series in their last five meetings. Last season the Cougars swept the season series with Martin Luther. Emily Auch, who averaged just 5.3 points per game in UMAC games last season, is having a great season for the Cougars, averaging 16 points per game through the first five conference games. Overall she is eighth in the league in scoring with 12.7 points per game.
Friday's matchup will feature the fourth and fifth best scoring teams in the UMAC with Martin Luther holding the slight edge. Minnesota Morris is second in scoring defense though, holding opponents to 64.6 points per game. Martin Luther is allowing teams to score 73.9 points per game.
Game Notes
- MLC’s last win over UMM came in the Championship Game of the UMAC Postseason Tournament in 2012. The two teams split the regular season conference championship that season.
- The Cougars lead the conference in rebounding, averaging 43.2 per game. They have 15.4 offensive rebounds per game.
- MLC's Brittney Gossen and Alex Anthon have each scored their 700th career point this season. Anthon has moved into fourth place in career assists (203), while Gossen has moved into third place in career free throws made (203).
- UMM is 6-1 on the year when they score over 64 points. They are 1-8 when scoring 64 points or less.
- MLC's Hannah Hackbarth is four points away from 700 for her career, and last weekend moved into second place in program history with 133 career three-point field goals.
Minnesota Morris Recap |
Martin Luther Recap |
Final Score: UMM 79, MLC 62
For information on other contests around the league this week, visit the UMAC's live scoreboard.