UMAC set for history-making Saturday with basketball championships
ST. PAUL, Minn.---If the first two rounds of Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) men's and women's basketball tournament are any indication of what is to come, Saturday's championship games are set to make history in so many different ways.
The top-seeded teams in both tournaments emerged victorious and will host the title games Saturday. In men's hoops, No. 1 Bethany Lutheran College dismantled No. 5 Unviersity of Minnesota Morris 112-69 Wednesday on a 67 percent shooting performance and will host No. 3 University of Northwestern after it spurred a late-game comeback to knock of No. 2 College of St. Scholastica 69-65. |
Game Recaps |
No. 1 University of Wisconsin-Superior held on against No. 4 Northwestern for a 65-54 win and a chance to host a third-straight title game against No. 2 Bethany Lutheran College that battled back for a fourth-quarter win over No. 3 University of Minnesota Morris by a score of 75-64. |
Game Recaps |
Both games will take place Saturday with No. 1 Bethany Lutheran hosting No. 3 Northwestern in men's basketball at 3 p.m. in Mankato, Minnesota. The women's tip off is set for 7:30 p.m. in Superior, Wisconsin, with No. 1 Wisconsin-Superior welcoming No. 2 Bethany Lutheran.
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Men's Hoops |
Women's Hoops |
Men’s Basketball – No. 1 Bethany Lutheran vs. No. 3 Northwestern, 3 p.m., Mankato, Minn. |
Live Broadcast |
Saturday's men's championship has the chance to make history with No. 1 Bethany Lutheran poised for its first postseason title and NCAA tournament appearance, while No. 3 Northwestern has an opportunity to win an eighth-consecutive UMAC tournament title and remain the only team to receiving the conference's automatic qualifying bid. The stage is set as either team has a chance to take it after splitting in the regular season – the Vikings took the conference opener at home 92-72 and the Eagles won on their court 78-65.
No. 1 Bethany Lutheran was unstoppable in semifinal action Wednesday as it reached a 51-point lead over the Cougars at one point in the second half. The action got rolling thanks to Brady Rose who scored 27 points on 8-of-11 shooting with six-made 3-pointers and a team-high seven rebounds. Trenton Krueger and Jake Dale each added 15 points, while Neil Eichten had 11 points and 13 assists. Caleb Hageman was big time for No. 3 Northwestern in the four-point win Wednesday – the junior hit a fadeaway jumper at the end of a possession to seal the win with 12 seconds left and led the Eagles with 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Anderson Bazile, Jr., Tanner Youngberg and Brady Bellefeuille each scored in double-digits with Bellefeuille leading with 11 rebounds.
Women’s Basketball – No. 1 Wisconsin-Sueprior vs. No. 2 Bethany Lutheran, 7:30 p.m., Superior, Wis. |
Live Stats |
Live Video |
Another chance for history is on the line in the women's title game Saturday – No. 1 Wisconsin-Superior is alread the only team in UMAC history to earn the UMAC automatic qualifier with back-to-back tournament titles and would be the first women's team to represent the UMAC in the NCAA tournament three times. On the flip side, No. 2 Bethany Lutheran makes a program-first appearance in the championship game with a chance to win the program's first UMAC championship in either the regular or postseason. In the regular season, the 'Jackets' won both contests but won by just seven in Mankato on Feb. 10 and were down to the Vikings going into the final quarter.
Wisconsin-Superior was down to Northwestern at several points in the first half but managed to pull away in the second for an 11-point win behind the solid scoring of Hannah Norlin. The junior tallied a team-high 19 points on 6-of-6 shooting. Hailey Kontny tallied a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double while Justine Larson added 10 points, nine boards and a game-high five assists. Hannah Geistfeld was remarkable for the Vikings scoring 30 points with 10 rebounds. Dakota Ellinghuysen also recorded a double-double with 16 points and eight rebounds with a 6-of-11 shooting performance.
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 page. Keep up with all of the tournament action on
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