MANKATO, MINN. – The University of Northwestern women's basketball team opened up its Upper Midwest Athletic Conference [UMAC] competition against Bethany Lutheran College [3-5, 1-0 UMAC] Wednesday evening on the road. The lady Eagles got the job done, as they secured a 63-52 victory over the Vikings to improve to 4-4 on the season and 1-0 in league play.

BLC took the first frame [10-4] over UNW, but the visiting Eagles did not count themselves out as they went on to outscore the Vikings 20-5 in the second quarter to take a 24-15 lead into the locker room.

On the half, Northwestern shot 27.5 percent from the field, outshining Bethany Lutheran's 16.1 shooting percent from the floor. Junior Taryn Tumbleson (Sherburn, Minn./Martin County West) sparked the teams offense, scoring seven points for the purple and gold, while Junior Amy Berglund (Springfield, Va./West Springfield) and Senior Alex Peterson (St. Paul, Minn. /Como Park) tallied four points a piece.

Battling to a nail-biting 35-34 score on the third period, with the lead still in UNW's favor, the Eagles powered through the fourth quarter to lock down a 63-52 victory over the home team.

Concluding the contest, the Eagles shot 39.3 percent from the hardwood, while the Vikings finished by shooting 28.6 percent from the field. UNW also ended the game with a season-high 47 rebounds [9 OFF, 38 DEF] and 15 steals, recorded an impressive 17 assists, and tallied 14 bench points.  

Berglund had the shooting touch once again, as she cashed in a double-double with 26 points and a career-high 16 rebounds [1 OFF, 15 DEF]. The junior guard went 11-for-18 from the field, 1-for-2 from long range, and 3-for-3 from the charity stripe, all while finishing off the night with two assists, two blocks, and nine steals.

Tumbleson [9pts] and Senior Abby Peterson (St. Paul, Minn./Como Park) [7pts] also had strong showings on the evening contest, pouring in a combined 16 points, while Senior Alex Peterson (St. Paul, Minn. /Como Park) and Freshman Rio Landers (Grand Meadow, Minn./Grand Meadow) each finished with six.

Northwestern will face North Central University on Saturday, December 9, in Minneapolis. Tip-off between the two teams is slated for 5 p.m. Fans can find live links for the mid-day action at www.unweagles.com.