Box Score

MANKATO, Minn. – After suffering a six-point loss at Martin Luther College the night before, the University of Northwestern women's basketball team wasn't going to be denied another Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) victory this weekend. The Eagles used a dominating performance in the paint to beat the Vikings 83-61. Jessica Fife (Maple Grove, Minn./Osseo), who scored a career high 32 points on Friday, led a front court performance that saw the Eagles score 34 points inside, compared to just 16 for Bethany Lutheran.

Northwestern, who struggled for much of last night's contest in New Ulm, Minn., came out of the gate with a hot hand as three-pointers from Mollie Sir (Cresco, Iowa/Crestwood) and Courtney Cunard (Missouri Valley, Iowa/Missouri Valley) had the Eagles leading 8-0 early. Bethany Lutheran finally got on the board, but UNW kept its momentum going, as Fife and Jacki Smith (Shoreview, Minn./Concordia Academy) were able to establish a presence under the hoop, boosting Northwestern's lead to 11 points before the 10-minute mark of the initial half. The Vikings were able to cut the advantage to five, but Tiffany Stubbs (Ames, Iowa/Des Moines Christian) and Sir responded with consecutive baskets to get the margin right back to double digits as the Eagles owned a 43-33 lead at halftime.

UNW widened the gap in the second half, bumping its buffer to 19 courtesy of a 10-0 run that was helped by a Cunard jumper and Stubbs' fast break layup. Stubbs hit a three-pointer to spur another push by the Eagles' offense as Hannah Holm (Charlotte, N.C./GRACE School)'s basket at the 10:35 mark put the Northwestern lead at 24 with 10:35 left to play. The buffer was as high as 31 before Bethany finished with nine straight points as the final horn sounded with the Eagles winning by 22.

The Eagles, who saw every one of their 16 players on the court throughout the 40-minute contest, shot nearly 50 percent from the field, making 31 of 64 attempts with an 11-26 mark from downtown. At the same time, Northwestern held Bethany to a mere 25.7 shooting percentage. After Martin Luther grabbed 22 offensive rebounds against UNW on Friday, the Vikings (4-10, 1-2 UMAC) pulled down 26 offensive boards in Saturday's game.

Five different Northwestern players scored in double figures, with Kim Campbell (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy)'s 15 points leading the way. Campbell has set career highs for points twice in the last 24 hours after scoring 13 points last night. Sir and Stubbs each added 14 points in the win, with Jacki Smith (Shoreview, Minn./Concordia Academy) bringing down 11 rebounds for the Eagles.

Now 10-4 (2-1 UMAC), Northwestern will take Sunday off before hitting the practice court again on Monday to prepare for another UMAC weekend. The Eagles will host their first home game since Dec. 13 next Friday, Jan. 24 against the University of Minnesota Morris at 7:30 p.m.