ASHLAND, Wis. – Strong first half shooting and a massive amount of opportunities at the free throw line allowed the University of Northwestern women's basketball team to defeat Northland College 80-70 on Saturday to help the Eagles remain undefeated in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) play. Now 3-0 against league opponents, Northwestern owned a 10-point advantage at halftime that finished with the same difference in points at the final horn.

UNW never trailed in the game, but the host-LumberJills tied the score a few times throughout the first half including at 17-17 after the Eagles had jumped out to a 14-8 start. Northwestern went on a run down the stretch of the initial period, turning a 26-26 tie into a 39-30 buffer thanks to strong defense and some converted fast break points at the other end. Chanel Madson (Westbrook, Minn./Westbrook-Walnut Grove)'s made free throw with 1:17 to play in the half gave Northwestern, who was wearing its home-white jerseys for both teams' second game in as many days, its first double-digit lead of the afternoon. Northland made a jumper in the final 60 seconds, but Madson converted another fast break opportunity with a lay-up at the buzzer before halftime, making good use of a Kim Campbell (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy) steal.

Northwestern's edge went as high as 18 points in the second half with more scoring in the paint. The Eagles didn't finish the period as strong as they started it though, as Northland cut a 14-point margin to five over the course of four minutes as the LumberJills found themselves within range at 62-57 with 5:57 to play. While the final margin was 10, Northland got even closer as a trio of Briana Tody three-pointers had the Jills within four points of UNW on three occasions down the stretch, the last of which came with 36 seconds remaining. Fortunately for Northwestern, Northland ran out of time and was forced to foul, with Tiffany Stubbs (Ames, Iowa/Des Moines Christian) and Regan Cooper (Pella, Iowa/Pella) making all six of their attempts at the charity stripe in the final 25 seconds to seal the Eagles' victory.

Tody had 13 second half points and 22 overall, making six treys for Northland. Northwestern countered with Madson's 22-point effort, the senior's fourth straight game with 10 or more points. Stubbs and Cooper each added 16 points as both Campbell and Jacki Smith (Shoreview, Minn./Concordia Academy) grabbed a team-best six rebounds. Northwestern went 17-27 in shooting in the first half, finishing the game at 52 percent. Northland was whistled for 20 second half fouls, giving the Eagles 27 opportunities at the free throw line in the final 20 minutes, 18 of which UNW made.

The win puts Northwestern back at .500 overall for the year at 7-7. While a pair of road victories is certainly nice for head coach Aaron Kahl's group, the Eagles will gladly take the friendly confines of the Ericksen Center, where UNW will host Martin Luther College and Bethany Lutheran College next weekend. The back-to-back games begin at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, January 23 with the Eagles welcoming the Knights from Martin Luther to campus.