ST. PAUL, Minn. (Jan. 12, 2008) -- The Northwestern College women's basketball team upended the UMAC preseason favorite in Northland College on Saturday afternoon, defeating the LumberJills 56-46.

After a 2-0 early lead by Northwestern, Northland tied the game for the first and last time at 2-2. The Eagles followed with seven straight points go to up 9-2 after the first five minutes before turning that lead into 23-15 with 2:04 remaining in the first half. The LumberJills chipped in two points in the final minute before Northwestern exited the first half with a 23-17 lead.

Northwestern kept up the pace in the second half, extending their lead to 42-21 before five minutes had ticked off in the second period. Northland battled back to pull within ten at 48-38, but the Jills couldn't get any closer, as the Eagles wrapped it up at 56-46.

Northwestern shot a consistent 42.9 percent on the night, while Northland struggled at 31.6 percent. The Jills' first half woes didn't help, as they shot a mere 26.9 percent in the initial 20 minutes.

Northland actually won the turnover battle (17-23), but the Eagles bested their opponents in rebounding (35-34) and points off turnovers (13-9).

Ariel Liesch (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) was NWC's firecracker once again, posting 12 points in a near double-double performance, as the sophomore tallied nine rebounds and six assists. Rachael Bohnen (Grand Marais, MN/Cook County High School) (Grand Marais, Minn./East Central) and Kaelee Kendrick (Eagan, Minn./Bethany Academy) (Eagan, Minn./Bethany Academy) were the Eagles' contributing offensive counterparts, scoring eight points apiece in the win. Kendrick added seven rebounds.to her 4-for-10 shooting performance.

With the win, Northwestern continued their undefeated streak in conference play at 3-0 and 4-9 overall. Northland returns to Wisconsin with a 5-6 overall record and a 2-1 UMAC mark. Conference play will resume again next Friday and Saturday, when the Eagles travel southwest to take on Martin Luther and Bethany Lutheran. Friday's game in New Ulm, Minn. versus Martin Luther is scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off.