Box Score ST. PAUL -- The Northwestern College women's basketball team returned to the win column on Saturday afternoon, defeating Presentation College 56-43 in front of a packed Hoops Hysteria crowd at the Ericksen Center. The Eagles' victory was their fifth this season and their second in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) action.

Northwestern didn't take long to establish a presence, as the Purple and Gold owned a seven-point lead before six minutes had ticked off the clock. Presentation slowly cut into the lead, getting the margin down to two points before NWC went on a 6-0 run to lead 23-15 with 3:55 left in the first half. Although the Eagles weren't comfortable with a four-point advantage, Northwestern entered its locker room with a 25-21 first half lead. Mollie Sir (Cresco, Iowa/Crestwood) quickly pushed the margin to seven with a three-pointer to start the second period. The Eagles' lead hit double digits when Sir hit another three at the 7:08 mark. The home team took advantage of its size in the paint down the stretch and ended with a 13-point win.

NWC didn't have its best shooting night, but 40 percent was good enough while the Eagle defense held Presentation to 32 percent and just 17 made baskets. Sir led the team with 13 points while Jessica Fife (Maple Grove, Minn./Osseo) had a monster game, scoring 10 points and pulling down a whopping 20 rebounds. Fife was a big reason why the Eagles out-scored the Saints 24-10 in the paint.

Hannah Phillips had 14 points for Presentation while her teammate, Amanda Broin, gathered 10 rebounds in the game.

After playing consecutive games less than 24 hours apart from one another, Northwestern, now 5-9 overall, won't play again until Friday, Jan. 20. The Eagles will hit the road for its next pair of games, when Northland College hosts NWC in Ashland, Wis.