Box Score

ST. PAUL -- It came down to the wire, but the University of Minnesota, Morris women's basketball team claimed a 53-52 victory over Northwestern College on Saturday afternoon, ending the Eagles' eight-game winning streak. Down by seven points with under 45 seconds left to play, Tanya Dickey (White Bear Lake, Minn./White Bear Lake) (White Bear Lake, Minn./White Bear Lake) and Kelsey Kosman (Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake) (Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake) hit back-to-back three-pointers to bring the Eagles within a point before the clock ultimately ran out on NWC.

The last-minute comeback wasn't the first time Northwestern had to play from behind in the game, as the home team found themselves in an eight-point hole with1:28 left to play in the first half. Playing for the second straight day without leading-scorer Katie DeWitt (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial), NWC held the Cougars in check early before Morris turned a 13-12 Eagles lead into a 23-16 Cougars edge at the break.

Morris' lead ballooned to 12 in the first five minutes of the second period before Northwestern started chipping away. Dickey hit a jumper and two free throws before Kosman followed with a three-pointer. When Mollie Sir (Cresco, Iowa/Crestwood) (Cresco, Iowa/Crestwood) drained a shot from downtown, the margin was down to two. With just over three minutes to go, the Cougars scored back-to-back baskets to lead 49-41 before the nail-biting finish came to fruition.

While Morris easily out-shot the Eagles, Northwestern stayed in the game by limiting their turnovers while forcing the Cougars into mistakes. NWC posted 15 assists to 13 turnovers, while Morris had 16 and 19, respectively.

Dickey was the Eagles' leading scorer on the day, going 5-12 for 16 points and a team-best six rebounds. Johnson, Sir and Kosman all added nine points, with all of Sir and Kosman's points coming from behind the three-point arc.

Morris (17-6, 12-0 UMAC), who won the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) regular season championship with the win, was led by Steph Roggenbuck, who turned in a 23-point, 15-rebound performance.

Despite not winning on Saturday, the Eagles (13-10, 9-3 UMAC) solidified the No. 2 seed in the UMAC Tournament after Martin Luther College lost to Northland College. NWC will wrap up its regular season next weekend, taking on Bethany Lutheran College and Martin Luther on Friday and Saturday. Tip-off for Friday's game in Mankato is set for 5:30 p.m.