ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Northwestern women's basketball team welcomed Bethany Lutheran to the Ericksen Center to kick off Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) action Wednesday evening. The Eagles stuck with the 7-1 Vikings for the entirety of the first half, but fell in final scoring 74-53 after Bethany Lutheran put together a sharp-shooting fourth quarter.
 
Northwestern leads the all-time series with Bethany Lutheran, 23-7, but have fallen in two straight to the Vikings who finished 2^nd in the 2017-18 UMAC final standings. The Eagles move to 1-6 overall, 0-1 in conference play.
 
After trailing 30-26 at the half, Northwestern pulled within one (39-38) at the five minute mark in the third quarter. The Eagles saw success with their inside play as sophomore transfer Miranda Crenshaw (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) and Rio Landers (Grand Meadow, Minn./Grand Meadow) led the Eagles offensively with eight and 13 points, respectively.
 
The Vikings held Northwestern to just three points in the final five minutes of the quarter to extend the lead to eight to start the fourth (49-41). Bethany Lutheran hit two quick shots from beyond the arc to take a 55-41 advantage, which only propelled their shooting momentum. Abby Olson made seven three-pointers on the night including six in the second half alone.
 
Amy Berglund (Springfield, Va./West Springfield) and Megan Roberts (Greeley, Colo./Dayspring Christian Academy) also added eight points on the night. Four Northwestern players pulled down a game-high six rebounds including Kelsea Lund (Madison, Minn./La qui Parle Valley), Rio Landers (Grand Meadow, Minn./Grand Meadow), Megan Roberts (Greeley, Colo./Dayspring Christian Academy) and Miranda Crenshaw (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview).
 
The Eagles will return to action on Saturday, Dec. 8 when they welcome North Central University to the Ericksen Center. Tipoff is slated for 3 p.m. against the Rams who enter the contest 5-2 overall following a UMAC win over Martin Luther.
 
Follow UNW women's basketball online this season at www.unweagles.com or on Twitter and Instagram at @unwwbb.