No. 4 Cougars hold off No. 5 Rams for UMAC quarterfinal win
MORRIS, Minn.---The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) women’s basketball quarterfinal came down to the wire Monday evening as the No. 4 seed University of Minnesota Morris held off several fourth-quarter scoring surges from No. 5 seed North Central University to pull off an impressive 69-65 victory to advance to the semifinal round.
|
Box Score |
Championship Page |
Having just played two days ago to end the regular season, the two squads faced off with a lot more at stake which set up for a competitive contest from the get-go. The higher-seeded Cougars did manage to take a 14-7 lead after 10 minutes of play before the Rams outscored them 19-16 in the second quarter to make it a four-point game at the half.
However, the Rams found themselves down 13 points in the final quarter but managed to pull within two with 51 seconds to play. The Cougars got to the line twice, though, and hit two shots in order to hold on for the win.
Three players scored in double figures including Mia Wassink and Jaydn Sondrol with 15 points each. Lexus Eagle Chasing recorded a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double, while Abby Van Kempen pulled in a game-high 19 rebounds. She also tallied five assists.
The Rams closed out their impressive season with a big performance from sophomore Naomi Hagstrom who recorded a game-high 18 points and added 10 rebounds. Allison Bulthuis and Kadija Conteh tallied 17 and 15 points, respectively, while Emily DiGiorgio pulled in a team-best 12 rebounds. The Rams have now qualified for the UMAC postseason in two-straight years and finish with a 12-14 overall record.
The No. 4 Cougars will travel to face No. 1 seed Bethany Lutheran College at 7:30 p.m. in Mankato, Minnesota, for the first of two semifinals. The other game will feature No. 2 University of Wisconsin-Superior taking on No. 3 University of Northwestern at 7 p.m. in Superior, Wisconsin. The two winners will meet in the tournament championship Saturday at the location of the higher seed.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Quarterfinal Round – Monday, Feb. 24
No. 4 Minnesota Morris def. No. 5 North Central, 69-65 |
Box Score |
NCU Recap |
UMM Recap |
Semifinal Round – Wednesday, Feb. 26
No. 4 Minnesota Morris AT No. 1 Bethany Lutheran; Mankato, Minn., 7:30 p.m. |
Live Stats |
Live Video |
No. 3 Northwestern AT No. 2 Wisconsin-Superior; Superior, Wis., 7 p.m. |
Live Video |
Live Stats |
Championship – Saturday, Feb. 29
Lowest remaining seed at highest remaining seed; Location and time, TBD
TICKET INFORMATION
- Adults, $10
- College students and seniors, $5
- Youth (Age 6-18), $5; age 5 and under, FREE
- Any UMAC students, faculty and staff are free with a valid and current institutional ID. No other passes will be accepted.
Tournament Championship Page