UMAC basketball teams set for semifinal action Wednesday
ST. PAUL, Minn.---A thrilling opening round of Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) quarterfinals has set the stage for an even more exciting semifinal round of men’s and women’s playoff basketball set to take place Wednesday evening on three different conference campuses.
The top four seeds remain in the men’s tournament with No. 1 College of St. Scholastica hosting No. 4 University of Minnesota Morris. The Cougars advanced to the semifinals after holding off a late-game comeback by No. 5 University of Wisconsin-Superior for an 83-80 win at home Monday. |
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No. 2 University of Northwestern-St. Paul will look to knock off No. 3 North Central University as the cross town rivals are set for semifinal action Wednesday in St. Paul.
On the women’s side, No. 5 Martin Luther College knocked off No. 4 Minnesota Morris 67-66 with a last second bucket by Jade St. Germaine on the road Monday. The Knights earned an opportunity to travel to No. 1 Wisconsin-Superior to take on a squad that didn’t drop a single game to a UMAC competitor this season. |
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The other women’s matchup will pit No. 2 Northwestern against No. 3 Bethany Lutheran College Wednesday in St. Paul following the men’s duel. Less than two weeks ago, the Eagles narrowly defeated the Vikings by three points to set up an enticing semifinal contest.
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Men's Semifinal 1 |
Men's Semifinal 2 |
Women's Semifinal 1 |
Women's Semifinal 2 |
Men’s Basketball – No. 1 St. Scholastica vs. No. 4 Minnesota Morris, 7:30 p.m., Duluth, Minn. |
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St. Scholastica locked up its first outright UMAC title in program history with a thrilling win on its home court Saturday over Northwestern. The Saints enter the semifinals at the top seed in the program and winning of their last nine games to end the regular season.
The Saints’ Andrew Laughlin led his squad to a decisive win over North Central Friday with a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double. He enters the tournament averaging 12.8 points per game (ppg) against UMAC opponents this season. Joe Stark and Brandon Newman also combined to score 35 of St. Scholastica’s 76 points in the win over Northwestern with both players shooting over 50 percent from the field.
Minnesota Morris comes in to Wednesday’s contest after holding off a late-game surge by Wisconsin-Superior Monday. The Cougars held a 20-point lead over the Yellowjackets with 7:45 remaining in the game before allowing the Yellowjackets to pull within two with 10 seconds to go. The Yellowjackets’ final 3-point attempt fell just short in the final seconds allowing the Cougars to advance.
CD Douglas will lead the Cougars against the Saints after pouring in a career-high and school record 37 points in the Cougars’ victory. The sophomore went 10-of-18 from the field and 17-of-22 from the charity stripe, while also picking up a game-high 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.
Men’s Basketball – No. 2 Northwestern vs. No. 3 North Central, 5:30 p.m., St. Paul, Minn. |
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Heading into the final weekend of the regular season, Northwestern had been on an eight-game winning streak with a chance to lock up its sixth title in seven seasons. However, that came to a screeching halt as the Eagles dropped both of its final games. The Eagles finished the UMAC season 12-4 and will look to capture their sixth-straight tournament crown.
The Eagles boast six players averaging double-digits overall this season including reigning UMAC Player of the year Michael Carney with a team-high 13.4 ppg. Over the last two games, Carney and fellow senior Kyle Ooms have combined to score over half of the Eagles points.
After falling to St. Scholastica Friday, the Rams scored a major 77-74 win over Wisconsin-Superior to solidify the No. 3 seed in the tournament. The Rams will look for a semifinal upset after stealing a game from the Eagles on their home court by four points in January.
Sophomore Joel Cline will look to head the Rams’ offensive attack after leading the team in scoring (14.1 ppg), rebounding (6.8) and field goal percentage (54.5) this season. In the team’s big win Saturday against the Yellowjackets, the Rams received 18- and 15-point performances from Jared and Josh High, respectively.
Women’s Basketball – No. 1 Wisconsin-Superior vs. No. 5 Martin Luther, 7:30 p.m., Superior, Wis. |
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In their first season as a UMAC competitor, Wisconsin-Superior locked up their second-consecutive conference championship – the Yellowjackets won the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) title in 2014-15. They finished with a flawless 16-0 record and sealed the regular season crown with a decisive 68-56 win over Northwestern Friday.
The Yellowjackets received strong performances from top players Hailey Kontny and Allyssa Lindberg in Friday’s title-clinching win as they scored 15 and 14 points, respectively. Kontny leads the Yellowjackets with 12.0 ppg against UMAC opponents, while Lindberg boasts 8.3 ppg. Wisconsin-Superior enters the tournament with significant depth as 11 players boast 10 minutes or more per game.
Martin Luther has had a dramatic path to get to the semifinal round – the Knights clinched the final postseason seed with an overtime win over Crown Sunday before upsetting Minnesota Morris in the quarterfinal Monday with seven seconds left in the game.
In the Knights’ win over Crown, Grace Schultz and Mariah Schoof combined for 35 points in the win, while St. Germaine added 11 before playing the hero scoring 16 points Monday. Leah Nass also recorded a 14-point, 11 rebound double-double along with four blocks to send the Knights to Superior Wednesday.
Women’s Basketball – No. 2 Northwestern vs. No. 3 Bethany Lutheran, 7:30 p.m., St. Paul, Minn. |
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After sharing the UMAC title last season, only Wisconsin-Superior stood in the way of the Eagles reaching a second-straight title in 2015-2016 – the Eagles swept all of their other UMAC opponents boasting a 14-2 conference record. The Eagles also won eight of their last nine games to close out the regular season.
The Eagles have found success all season behind the leadership of Amy Berglund who averaged 13.6 ppg against UMAC teams. In the Eagles’ season-finale 60-54 win over St. Scholastica, Berglund poured in 22 points on an 8-of-12 shooting performance. Regan Cooper also scored in double-digits in both of the Eagles’ games to end the regular season.
Bethany Lutheran enters the tournament after finishing 10-6 in conference play and winning five of their last seven games. In their previous loss to the Eagles on Feb. 13, the Vikings pulled within one point in the final four seconds before suffering a three-point loss setting up a fitting rematch Wednesday.
All season, Haley Sandin has led the Vikings with an impressive 16.8 ppg game against UMAC foes, while Minnie Frederick and Briana Brandts have added at least 12 points or more per game. Sandin scored 20 points or more to lead the Vikings in each of their final four conference games.
Tournament Information
All tournament information including scores, recaps, team information and more can be found on the
UMAC Men’s Basketball Tournament page and the
UMAC Women's Basketball Tournament pages. Keep up with all of the tournament action on
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#UMACchamp.
2015-2016 Men’s Tournament Page
2015-2016 Women’s Tournament Page