MORRIS, Minn. – The University of Northwestern women's basketball team battled to the end against the University of Minnesota Morris Cougars in a thrilling 74-71 OT victory on Tuesday. They improved their overall record to 12-5 and UMAC record to 7-1. With the victory, the Eagles extended their winning streak to six games.
 
Neither team could grab themselves a huge lead as both teams exchanged baskets throughout the first quarter. The biggest run of the quarter was found by the Eagles, but it was only a 5-0 run. The game was tied with a minute left before Northwestern found themselves on a 4-0 run to end the first leading 18-14. It was a first quarter of hot shooting for the Eagles as they shot 7-for-13 from the field while hitting 83 percent of their free throws.
 
Much like the first quarter, both teams clashed and fought for the lead. Despite all of the fighting, UNW never saw themselves in a deficit in the second quarter. Instead, the Eagles were able to maintain the lead for most of the quarter. With a little less than two and a half minutes left in the first half, Northwestern saw their one point lead grow into a seven point lead led by Hailey Paup (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Concordia Academy). As time wound down, the Cougars saw a buzzer beater three connect, dropping UNW's lead down to four, 34-30, going into halftime.
 
Both teams were exceptional from the field, Northwestern continued their hot hand and went into the lockers shooting 41.4 percent overall, while hitting 75 percent of their free throws. The defensive prowess from both teams was visible as each team caused the other to turn the ball over eight times in the half. What made the Eagles outshine the Cougars in the first half was their rebounding ability, as they brought down a total of 21 rebounds with seven of those being offensive. Thanks to the extra opportunities, UNW scored six second chance points.
 
It was a slow start for Northwestern in the third quarter as they were only able to knock in six points in the first eight minutes. The Eagle's woke up better late than never as, after a Kelsea Lund (Madison, Minn./Lac qui Parle Valley) three pointer, they outscored the Cougars 10-5 in the final two minutes to take a 50-45 lead entering the final quarter.  
 
The fourth quarter was one to remember, as the lead hung in the balance between both teams. It looked like the Eagles were going to take the victory with a huge seven point swing to put them up by six with two and a half minutes left. However, the Cougars three point shooting did not let them down as they were able to tie the game with 27 seconds left before the clock expired with the game at 65 all.
 
It was hard fought throughout regulation and overtime was no different. The Cougars jumped out ahead with two early free throws but the Eagles responded with five points of their own. After a made jumper by Morris, Northwestern responded with another four points to take a five point lead with two minutes to go. A couple of more free throws saw their lead drop to three points. In the final seconds, UMM stole the ball from UNW, giving them one more chance to tie the game up. However, some great defensive forced a tough shot that would not fall, giving the Eagles a hard fought victory over the Cougars, 74-71
 
Overall it was hot shooting for Northwestern that carried them over the finish line, especially on the free throw line. They shot 41 percent from the field while hitting 76 percent of their shots from the charity stripe, 19-for-26. Although their three-point shooting was not too hot, they hit those shots when it mattered most, including one in overtime. The rebounding game for UNW powered them through this game, as they won the board battle 49-33.
 
Leading the way for the Eagles was the trio of Lund, Megan Roberts (Greeley, Colo./Dayspring Christian Academy), and Paup. Lund led the way in scoring as she finished the game with 21 points. The senior was also a thief on the defensive end, coming away with four steals. Roberts, after being named to the D3hoops.com Team of the Week, continued to showcase her talent, finishing with another double-double with 19 points and a team leading 12 rebounds, she also swatted away three shots. Not to be outdone, Paup also finished with her own double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Leading the team in the passing category was Allison Eide (Farmington, Minn./Christian Life Academy) who dished up five assists.
 
Northwestern will once again be facing off against Minnesota Morris, this time in the Ericksen Center on Friday, February 4 at 5:30 p.m.  For all things UNW women's basketball, visit www.unweagles.com or follow them on social media @unwwbb.