MORRIS, Minn. – The University of Northwestern women's basketball team hit the road to take on Minnesota Morris in Wednesday night Upper Midwest Athletic Conference action. The Eagles suffered a 68-52 loss to the Cougars, who sit at the top of the conference with a 7-1 record (tied with Bethany Lutheran and UW-Superior).
 
After a back-and-forth competitive first quarter, the Eagles were held to just seven points in the next 10 minutes to fall behind, 30-21 at the half.
 
Northwestern picked up the pace offensively in the third quarter, putting 18 points on the board – but Morris did the same, scoring 24 points and increasing the lead to 15.
 
The Cougars connected on 11 shots from beyond the arc, UNW recorded just six in the contest.
 
Kelsea Lund (Madison, Minn./La qui Parle Valley) and Rio Landers (Grand Meadow, Minn./Grand Meadow) led the Eagles offensively on the night, finishing with 12 points apiece. Miranda Crenshaw (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) added 10 points, while Courtney Schmidt (Spring Valley, Minn./Kingsland) dished out a team-best four assists. Amy Berglund (Springfield, Va./West Springfield) led Northwestern's efforts on the boards, pulling down eight.
 
UNW falls to 8-9 on the year and hold a 5-3 mark in the Upper Midwest Conference. They trail Morris, 21-28 in the all-time head to head records.
 
The Eagles will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 19 when they take on North Central University in Minneapolis. Tipoff is slated for 3:00 p.m. against the Rams.