Top seeds win big to open 2021-22 UMAC Women's Basketball Tournament

Top seeds win big to open 2021-22 UMAC Women's Basketball Tournament

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ST. PAUL, Minn.---The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) women's basketball 2021-22 tournament started off with the top four seeds winning in convincing fashion to start the eight-team tournament Wednesday. 

Following a one-day delay due to weather, the top seeds took care of business to set up a semifinal round Friday with No. 1 Bethany Lutheran College hosting No. 4 University of Minnesota Morris and No. 2 University of Northwestern welcoming No. 3 North Central University. 

| Tournament Championship Page | Bracket |
 
No. 1 Bethany Lutheran def. No. 8 Northland, 105-53 | Box Score | 
No. 1 Bethany Lutheran set the tone for the tournament with a statement win as the top seed taking down No. 8 Northland College in front of the home crowd with three players scoring in double figures. 
  • The Vikings finished the game shooting an impressive 50 percent from field. Thirteen different players added their names to the score sheet with at least two points.
  • Hanna Geistfeld tallied a 17-point, 10-rebound double double, while rookie Haley Meyer poured in a game-high 25 points. Ashley Schindele scored 21 off the bench.
  • The LumberJills' leading scorer on the season in Miranda Wagner came up with a team-best 21 points and seven rebounds. 

No. 2 Northwestern def. No. 7 Crown, 81-59 | Box Score | 
The co-champion No. 2 Eagles extended their impressive winning streak to 13-straight with a win over rival No. 7 Crown College to advance to the semifinals of the UMAC tournament.
  • The Eagles had three players score in double figures and shot 53.4 percent from the field. Northwestern also went 10-of-19 from beyond the arc with five different players hitting from deep.
  • Eagle senior Kelsea Lund tallied a game-high 19 points and was 4-for-5 from 3-point range. Ashlyn Jones and Lexi Hagen scored 16 and 13 points, respectively, off the bench to add to the Eagles' offensive surge.
  • Dominique Urbina led the Storm with a game-best 19 points. She was 6-of-12 from the field and a perfect 6-of-6 from the line. Amy Martius added 15 points, and McKenzie Latzke had 11. 

No. 3 North Central def. No. 6 Martin Luther, 68-55 | Box Score | 
No. 3 North Central found itself facing a No. 6 Martin Luther College squad that it faced Friday and needed a huge second quarter to shake off the Knights after the game was tied following the first 10 minutes of play. 
  • North Central used a strong defensive effort to handle the Knights scoring 28 points off of 24 turnovers. 
  • Naomi Hagstrom led the Rams with a game-high 23 points with a 50-percent shooting effort. Emily DiGiorgio added 13 points, while Aubrey Robinson pulled in a game-best 12 rebounds.
  • Jordyn Heckendorf went 7-of-10 for the Knights with a team-best 16 points in the loss. Emma Nelson led the Knights on the glass with six rebounds. 

No. 4 Minnesota Morris def. No. 5 Wisconsin-Superior, 64-47 | Box Score | 
Having played No. 5 University of Wisconsin-Superior in the final game of the season Saturday to a four-point win, No. 4 Minnesota Morris rebounded for a strong statement-win Wednesday. After getting outscored 17-10 in the first quarter, the Cougars finished the half with a 21-9 effort in the second before pulling away for the win. 
  • The Cougars shot 42.7 percent from 3-point range and went 16-of-21 from the free throw line which ended up being a difference maker in the winning effort. 
  • Senior Lexus Eagle Chasing compiled a solid performance with a 23-point, 10-rebound double-double to lead the Cougars. Jadyn Sondrol buried four of the team's six 3-pointers and picked up 18 points in the win. 
  • Ten different players scored for the Yellowjackets with Mady Sanders leading the way with eight points onf 4-of-5 shooting. She also had a team-best eight rebounds in the loss.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Wednesday, Feb. 23 - Quarterfinals
No. 1 Bethany Lutheran def. No. 8 Northland, 105-53 | Box Score |
No. 2 Northwestern def. No. 7 Crown, 81-59 | Box Score |
No. 3 North Central def. No. 6 Martin Luther, 68-55 | Box Score |
No. 4 Minnesota Morris def. No. 5 Wisconsin-Superior, 64-47 | Box Score |

Friday, Feb. 25 - Semifinals
No. 4 Minnesota Morris at No. 1 Bethany Lutheran, Mankato, Minn., 7 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Video |
No. 3 North Central at No. 2 Northwestern, St. Paul, Minn., 5:30 p.m.  | Live Stats | Live Video |

Sunday, Feb. 27 - Championship
Lowest Remaining Seed at Highest Remaining Seed

Ticket Information
All UMAC postseason events have the following set admissions prices: 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