No. 3 Rams, No. 4 Cougars upset top seeds to advance to UMAC championship game
ST. PAUL, Minn.---After a regular season dominated by the top two Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) women's basketball teams, the conference tournament took a major twist in the semifinal rounds as both No. 3 North Central University and No. 4 University of Minnesota Morris earned upset wins Friday to advance to the UMAC championship Sunday.
The night started with No. 3 North Central putting together a massive offensive effort for a 79-48 win over No. 2 University of Northwestern, before No. 4 Minnesota Morris jumped out to an early lead and never looked back in a 70-60 win over No. 1 Bethany Lutheran College.
No. 3 North Central will host No. 4 Minnesota Morris Sunday for the UMAC championship and a trip to the NCAA tournament at 2 p.m. in Minneapolis.
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Tournament Championship Page |
Bracket |
No. 4 Minnesota Morris def. No. 1 Bethany Lutheran, 70-60 | Box Score |
No. 4 Minnesota Morris flipped the tables on No. 1 Bethany Lutheran after losing both regular season contests by double digits. The Cougars used a strong defensive effort to hold off the Vikings after gaining the lead for good late in the second quarter.
- Minnesota Morris tallied 13 steals and forced Bethany Lutheran into 21 turnovers which led to 20 points on the offensive end. The Cougars also shot 48.0 percent from the field and went 5-of-12 from beyond the arc for an efficient performance. .
- Lexus Eagle Chasing recorded a Cougar-best 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting and eight makes at the free throw line. Mallory Anderson added 15 points off the bench with a game-high nine rebounds to go with.
- The Vikings' loss was despite a 28-point performance from star Hanna Geistfeld who was 11-of-16 from the field with seven rebounds. Haley Meyer also added 13 points in the losing effort.
No. 3 North Central def. No. 2 Northwestern, 79-48 | Box Score |
No. 2 Northwestern took both regular season contests from cross-town rival No. 3 North Central in convincing fashion. However, the No. 3 Rams showed up big when it counted making a statement win to head to a second-consecutive UMAC tournament championship game.
- A strong defensive effort led to an offensive outburst for the Rams. They forced 21 Eagle turnovers leading to 32 points. The Rams also shot 51.9 percent from the field while holding the Eagles to just 36.7 percent.
- Aubrey Robinson and Emily DiGiorgio collected 24 and 22 points, respectively, with both perfect at the free throw line. Robinson was 7-of-12 from the field, and DIGiorgio went 9-of-14. Naomi Hagstrom added 14 points with Joelle Talso leading with a team-best eight rebounds.
- Kelsea Lund led the Eagles with eight points, while Megan Roberts had seven points and a team-best eight boards. Lexi Hagen also added eight points off the bench in the team's 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 def. No. 1 Bethany Lutheran, 70-60 |
Box Score |
No. 3 North Central def. No. 2 Northwestern, 79-48 |
Box Score |
Sunday, Feb. 27 - Championship
No. 4 Minnesota Morris at No. 3 North Central, Minneapolis, Minn., 2 p.m. |
Live Stats |
Live Video |
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