Wisconsin-Superior women's basketball captures first UMAC regular-season title
Sara Eisenhauer
SUPERIOR, Wis.---After competing in a closely-contested game with University of Northwestern-St. Paul squad that had upset on its mind, the University of Wisconsin-Superior used a fourth-quarter run for a 68-56 win to remain undefeated and capture the 2015-2016 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Women’s Basketball regular season title Friday night.
In their first season as a UMAC competitor, the Yellow Jackets have cruised to a 15-0 record against UMAC opponents thus far. Though this isthe first UMAC crown for the Yellowjackets, Friday’s win locked up a second-straight conference title – the Yellowjackets claimed the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) championship in 2014-2015.
The Yellowjackets’ victory over the Eagles in the UMAC Game of the Week also locked up the No. 1 seed in the UMAC postseason tournament and the opportunity to host a UMAC semifinal contest next Wednesday, Feb. 24 against the winner of Monday’s quarterfinal yet to be determined.
This season, the Yellowjackets have dominated the UMAC in almost every aspect of conference games outscoring opponents on average of nearly 21 points per game. As a team, the Yellowjackets lead the league in scoring (75.5 ppg), shooting percentage (.449) and rebounding (45.3 per game).
Defensively – against UMAC opponents – the Yellowjackets have been even more impressive. They have held opponents to just 54.6 ppg and 30.4 rebounds per game – a dominant margin of 15.3. Their aggressive play has also helped them force on average 20 turnovers per UMAC contest.
The Yellowjackets have had a fully-loaded arsenal of weapons all season with sophomore Hailey Kontny leading the way with a 12.2 scoring average in UMAC games. She also shoots an outstanding 44.4 percent from the field which is accompanied by the shooting of Justine Larson who ranks fourth in the league at 50.5 percent.
An All-WIAC Honorable Mention selection a year ago, Allyssa Lindberg has added to the Yellowjackets’ success averaging 8.7 ppg and shooting a solid 34.2 percent from beyond the arc. The team’s sharp 3-point shooting is also credit to Allie Nelson who ranks third in the UMAC at 37.7 percent from downtown.
The Yellowjackets boast a deep lineup of eight players who average nearly seven points per UMAC contest. Their defensive efforts are helped greatly by Hadley Skalmoski and Bailee Bartunek who rank seventh and eighth, respectively, in rebounding. Skalmoski also ranks in the top 15 in the UMAC in steals, assists and blocks (per game).
After locking up the top seed, the Yellowjackets will look to end the conference season undefeated with their final game slated for 5 p.m. Saturday against North Central University in Superior.