ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets (11-3 UMAC) and University of Northwestern Eagles (11-3 UMAC) won the 2024-25 UMAC Women’s Basketball Regular Season Championship on Saturday as co-champions. The UMAC regular season title is the sixth for UW-Superior and the 15
th for Northwestern in their program’s histories.
The Yellowjackets traveled to face the University of Minnesota Morris Cougars for their regular season finale. A back-and-forth opening half ended in the Cougars’ favor as UW-Superior trailed Minnesota Morris at the half down 30-26. UWS struggled to find their shot through the first two quarters, shooting 30.8% from the field while going just 1-of-11 from three-point range. Even so, the Yellowjackets trailed by just four at halftime.
In the second half, UW-Superior found their shot; shooting 48.4% overall and making 5-of-10 shots from beyond the arc. The third quarter was a critical swing in momentum as the Yellowjackets scored 19 points while holding the Cougars to just nine to take a 44-39 lead into the fourth quarter.
In the final frame, Minnesota Morris caught fire to go 9-for-13 (69.2%) from the field, punctuated by a clutch three-point shot to tie the game at 63-63 with just 15 seconds to go. The Yellowjackets were then fouled on their ensuing drive with four seconds remaining and made both free throws to go up 65-63. The Cougars advanced the ball and inbounded to set up a potential game-tying shot, but the clock hit zeroes before the shot could be made as UW-Superior secured the win and a share of the UMAC title.
Meanwhile, Northwestern was hosting the Crown College Polars for their final game of the regular season. The Eagles leapt out to a 24-10 lead in the opening quarter, shooting 50% from the field while hitting 4-of-7 shots from three-point range. UNW kept up the pressure in the second quarter to take a 41-21 lead into halftime.
In the second half, the Eagles built their lead as high as 26 points in both the third and fourth quarters. A pair of three-pointers scored by the Polars in the final 30 seconds cut UNW’s lead, but Northwestern would close out the game with a 73-57 win to secure their share of the UMAC regular season championship.
The UW-Superior Yellowjackets and Northwestern Eagles will be the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds respectively in the UMAC Women's Basketball Tournament, which starts Wednesday, February 26 (semifinals) and concludes Saturday, March 1 (championship). The championship is a four-team tournament with each game hosted by the highest remaining seed. The tournament champion will receive the conference's automatic qualifying bid to the 2024-25 NCAA DIII Women's Basketball Championship.
The UMAC is an NCAA Division III member comprised of eight full-time member schools from Minnesota and Wisconsin: Bethany Lutheran College, Crown College, Martin Luther College, North Central University, Northland College, University of Minnesota Morris, University of Northwestern, and University of Wisconsin-Superior.