NEW ULM, Minn. – Upper Midwest Athletic Conference play commenced on Friday night, and the University of Northwestern Women's Basketball team began its quest for a fourth consecutive conference title with a road tilt at Martin Luther College. In a back-and-forth battle for most of the evening, the Eagles prevailed by a 62-51 margin.
Livvy Grosz (New Brighton, Minn./St. Anthony) kicked off the conference season with a three-pointer on Northwestern's first possession. The Eagles went on to score on six of their first eight possessions, flashing some impressive efficiency on the offensive side of the floor. Buckets by
Taylor Schuck (Maple Grove, Minn./Heritage Christian Academy),
Lexi Hagen (Jordan, Minn./Jordan) and
Grace Landvik (Roseville, Minn./Concordia Academy) gave UNW a quick 16-7 lead. The Knights responded with an 8-0 run to pull within one before
Ella Falk (Jamestown, N.D./Jamestown) stopped the bleeding with a turnaround jumper. Schuck's seven points in the opening period led the Eagles as they took an 18-17 lead into the quarter break.
Both sides started out slow in the second quarter as nearly four full minutes elapsed before
Jasmine Sondrol (Grand Forks, N.D./Red River) scored the first points of the frame on a driving layup. Martin Luther claimed its first lead of the contest at 26-25, but
River Landers (Grand Meadow, Minn./Grand Meadow) scored back-to-back buckets to give Northwestern a 29-26 advantage. At halftime, the Eagles held a 30-26 edge thanks to Schuck's seven points and five points, three rebounds and three assists from Landvik.
After a relatively quiet first half, reigning UMAC Player of the Year
Lexi Hagen (Jordan, Minn./Jordan) began to do UMAC Player of the Year things. A pair of early threes from the junior gave UNW a 38-33 lead. Landvik extended the lead to seven with another layup, then Hagen drilled her third triple of the quarter, courtesy of a transition feed from
Allison Terry (Blaine, Minn./Blaine), to put the Eagles ahead by eight. Landvik continued to blow by the Knights defense at-will and gave Northwestern its first double digit lead at 47-37. With seven seconds left, Landvik did it again, this time absorbing a foul in the process. After converting the free throw, she gave Northwestern a 49-37 edge at the end of the third. The junior had seven points in the quarter and Hagen put up 11 of her own as UNW closed the period on a 7-0 run.
That 7-0 run became 9-0 as Terry opened up the final period with a driving layup. Northwestern gained its largest lead of the night with just under six minutes left at 57-39, thanks to yet another
Lexi Hagen (Jordan, Minn./Jordan) three. Martin Luther made things interesting with a 9-0 spurt to cut the lead back to single digits, but the Eagles were able to dagger their counterparts when Hagen tracked down an offensive rebound and hit Landvik for a three-pointer as the shot clock expired. It was a fitting end to a game where both players involved shined. When the final horn sounded, the Eagles found themselves undefeated to begin conference play after a 62-51 win. The victory also marked the sixth in a row for
Aaron Kahl's unit.
As mentioned, it was the Hagen and Landvik show, offensively, for Northwestern. Hagen finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and two steals, shooting 77.8% from the field and 80% from three. Landvik was sensational in every facet, dropping 17 points, grabbing five boards and dishing out four assists. Schuck had a good all-around night as well with nine points, four rebounds and four assists. Sondrol chipped in with six points and four steals, while Grosz and Terry each pulled down four rebounds. The Eagles led for 38 of the 40 minutes and out-scored the Knights 53-39 in the paint.
It will be a quick turnaround for the purple and gold, as Northwestern will turn its attention to Bethany Lutheran on Saturday for conference game number two. Tip-off in Mankato is scheduled for 3:30 PM.
