ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Northwestern women's basketball team welcomed Martin Luther to the Ericksen Center for Saturday afternoon action. The Eagles shot 59% from the field, poured in 50 points from the paint and were supplemented by 40 bench points to roll to a 55-point win.
 
The Eagles jumped out to a 14-5 lead with scoring efforts led by Rio Landers (Grand Meadow, Minn./Grand Meadow) and Amy Berglund (Springfield, Va./West Springfield), who each recorded seven quick points. With the veterans leading the way, the Eagles orchestrated a 16-2 run to end the quarter, taking a 30-7 lead after just 10 minutes of action. Northwestern shot an impressive 81% in the quarter.
 
The Eagles held Martin Luther to just seven points again in the second quarter to take a 48-14 advantage at the half, and allowed just seven points once again in the third to lead 68-21 heading into the fourth.
 
Twelve players saw action for Northwestern as the Eagles put together an 86-31 conference win. In 16 minutes played, Amy Berglund (Springfield, Va./West Springfield) led the purple and gold offensively with 24 points on 10 of 14 shooting.
 
Brooklyn DeKam (Edgerton, Minn./Southwest MN Christian) came off the bench to add some spark, pouring in 17 points and shooting seven of eight from the field. Rio Landers (Grand Meadow, Minn./Grand Meadow) and Megan Roberts (Greeley, Colo./Dayspring Christian Academy) each added 11 on the night.
 
Miranda Crenshaw (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) pulled down a team-best nine rebounds, while Courtney Schmidt (Spring Valley, Minn./Kingsland) grabbed eight. Jordan Sauve (Blaine, Minn./Blaine) dished out seven assists in the contest.
 
With the win, Northwestern improves to 8-8 overall, 5-2 in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference. The Knights drop to 1-14 on the year, 1-6 in conference play. UNW leads the all-time series against Martin Luther, 39-12.
 
The Eagles will return to action on Wednesday, January 16 when they travel to Morris, Minn. to take on the Cougars. Tipoff is slated for 5:30 p.m. Follow the action via live stats and live video.