MANKATO, Minn. – The University of Northwestern women's basketball team took on the UMAC-leading Bethany Lutheran Vikings on the road Saturday. The Eagles started strong but the Vikings rallied to take the game 74-62.
 
UNW started the game strong for the second time in as many days. With the game tied 7-7 early, the Eagles went on a 20-9 run to take a 27-16 lead through the first ten minutes. UNW shot 52.6 percent from the floor and made 4-of-6 from beyond the arc to make an opening-quarter statement against the conference leaders. While Northwestern's offense was on fire, the defense was smothering as they held the Vikings to just 31.3 percent shooting from the floor in the opening quarter.
 
Northwestern kept up the offensive efficiency in the second quarter, shooting an even 50 percent from the floor and from three-point range. Bethany's defense, however, slowed down the Eagle's offensive volume to hold UNW to 14 points in the frame. The Eagles took their largest lead of the game when Kelsea Lund (Madison, Minn./Lac qui Parle Valley) drilled a three-point shot midway through the quarter to go up by 16-points at 36-20. The Vikings shooting improved in the second as well to help them outscore the Eagles 18-14 in the frame. BLC got a spark in the final seconds of the half as Hannah Geistfeld grabbed a defensive rebound and launched it downcourt to Sara Kottke who sank a three with just three seconds remaining in the half.
 
UNW led 41-34 going into the second half against UMAC-leading BLC. In the third quarter, the Eagles started to pull away from the Vikings with a strong start. Northwestern took a 15-point lead on a Lexi Hagen (Jordan, Minn./Jordan) three-point basket, going up 54-39 midway through the quarter. From that point on, however, the Vikings closed the quarter on a 14-0 run to cut the UNW lead to one point, closing the third quarter with the score set at 54-53.
 
Bethany Lutheran extended their scoring run to 18-0 with to start the fourth, taking the lead for the first time since the second minute of the first quarter. BLC took the lead as Kottke made a layup in the paint while taking a foul, sinking the and-one to put Bethany Lutheran up 56-54. The Vikings would hold the lead for the remainder of the game while their defense held UNW to eight points in the final frame, powering the conference-leading Vikings to the 74-62 win.
 
Hailey Paup (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Concordia Academy) led the Eagles with a career-high 22 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Megan Roberts (Greeley, Colo./Dayspring Christian Academy) and Lund each added nine points in the contest.
 
Next up for Northwestern is another road conference game, this time at North Central University on Tuesday, January 18, starting at 7:00 p.m.