Big second half lifts Yellowjackets to third-straight UMAC postseason women's basketball title
SUPERIOR, Wis.---For the third-straight season, the University of Wisconsin-Superior will represent the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) in the NCAA tournament for women's basketball after a strong second-half propelled the Yellowjackets to a 66-54 win over Bethany Lutheran College Saturday.
Since joining the UMAC, the Yellowjackets have gone undefeated in conference play for three seasons and become the first women's basketball team to represent the UMAC in the NCAA Division III tournament three times. The 'Jackets are also the only program to win back-to-back postseason titles in UMAC Division III history.
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Tournament Site |
Box Score |
Despite having the experience of a championship team, the No. 1 Yellowjackets came out tentative early and the No. 2 Vikings took full advantage of the opportunity to take a small but early lead. The game was tied three times in the opening quarter before the Yellowjackets went up 14-13 after 10 minutes.
The Yellowjackets led by as many as five in the first two minutes of the second quarter before the Vikings surged with an 8-0 run to go up 29-22 with 1:22 to play in the half. Quickly, the Yellowjackets found a way to pull within two, down just 29-27 at the half.
Coming out of the break, the Yellowjackets took command of the game and Hailey Kontny took over to fuel a very quick comeback for the Yellowjackets. They eventually built a 19-point lead with just seconds remaining in the third quarter and looked as if the game was sealed.
However, the Vikings wouldn't quite go away in the fourth as they started to chip away and pulled back within 10. Foul trouble pulled rookie Abby Olson – who led the team with 13 points – from the game with over four minutes remaining, making a comeback even more difficult and eventually the Yellowjackets poured on more offense en route to victory.
The Yellowjackets' win was courtesy of a 27-point performance from star Kontny who was named the Tournament MVP. She finished her two-game stretch with 40 points and 20 rebounds to fuel another championship for her squad. Hannah Norlin also added eight points offensively and picked up a spectacular game-high 16 rebounds.
In addition to Olson's 13 points, Haley Sandin finished with 11 points scored for the Vikings and Hannah Geistfeld had nine.
With the win, the Yellowjackets will advance to the opening round of the NCAA Division III tournament. They will learn their fate Monday at 1:30 p.m. during the NCAA selection show available at
ncaa.com.
Playoff Schedule
Quarterfinal Round – Monday, Feb. 19
No. 4 Northwestern def. No. 5 St. Scholastica, 52-39 |
Box Score |
CSS Recap |
UNW Recap |
Semifinal Round – Wednesday, Feb. 21
No. 1 Wisconsin-Superior def. No. 4 Northwestern, 65-54 |
Box Score |
UNW Recap |
UWS Recap |
No. 2 Bethany Lutheran def. No. 3 Minnesota Morris, 76-64 |
Box Score |
BLC Recap |
UMM Recap |
Championship – Saturday, Feb. 24
No. 1 Wisconsin-Superior def. No. 2 Bethany Lutheran, 66-54 |
Box Score | BLC Recap | UWS Recap |