SUPERIOR, Wis. – Saturday's clash between two of the elites in UMAC women's basketball certainly lived up to its billing. In a back-and-forth affair that came down to the final seconds, the University of Wisconsin-Superior was able to use a big fourth quarter to overtake the University of Northwestern by a 58-52 score.
Lexi Hagen (Jordan, Minn./Jordan) kicked things off with a quick finish inside to put Northwestern on the board first. The Yellowjackets responded to take an 8-3 lead before
Jasmine Sondrol (Grand Forks, N.D./Red River) made a layup to get UNW back within one score. A Hagen three again trimmed the lead to three at 11-8, and
Ella Falk (Jamestown, N.D./Jamestown) scored the final four points of the quarter to end a 5-0 UWS spurt and make the score 16-12 in favor of the home team.
Hagen drilled another three early in the second quarter to cut the lead back to three at 18-15. The next three Eagles baskets were left-handed layups—one from Sondrol and two from Hagen—to keep Northwestern afloat, trailing 25-21. The Eagles took the lead for the first time since 2-0 when
River Landers (Grand Meadow, Minn./Grand Meadow) sunk a pair of free throws and
Rylie Hirschey (Pine River, Minn./Pine River Backus) connected from deep to go ahead, 26-25. Hirschey made a layup on the following possession to stretch the lead to three, but the half ended with UNW holding a slim, 28-27 edge thanks to 12 points and six rebounds from junior star
Lexi Hagen (Jordan, Minn./Jordan) on 5-6 shooting.
The Yellowjackets claimed the first four points of the second half, but Sondrol tied it up with an and-one. The junior put Northwestern back in front shortly after on a turnaround floater to make it 33-32. The teams continued to trade the lead as UNW inched back in front by one thanks to two
Allison Terry (Blaine, Minn./Blaine) free throws and a Landers layup.
Andrea Pocernich (Cromwell, Minn./Cromwell-Wright), coming off a career night on Friday, buried a momentum-shifting corner three with under a minute left to make it 42-40, Eagles, with three quarters complete.
Northwestern carried that momentum into the fourth quarter as Terry and Landers combined for the first four points in the quarter to extend the lead to 46-40. Superior made a jump shot to pull within four, but a pair of Terry free throws pushed the lead back to six. The next five minutes, however, would belong to the Yellowjackets. UWS went on an 8-0 run in that time frame to suddenly take a 50-48 lead with 3:29 remaining. A Hagen layup tied it back up at 50, but the Jackets ripped off a 6-0 run to seize control back. Hagen made another layup with 18 seconds left, keeping UNW's hopes alive. UW-Superior did miss a few free throws down the stretch to keep the door open, but the Eagles were unable to capitalize, ultimately falling by a 58-52 score. The result solidified Superior's spot at the top of the UMAC and keeps Northwestern in third place.
Hagen was terrific in the losing effort, scoring 18 points and pulling down seven rebounds. Sondrol finished with nine points and two blocks, while Terry and Landers each added six points and five boards. Terry also dished out two assists. The difference in the game was UW-Superior's 18-10 advantage in the fourth quarter.
Northwestern will be back at home next weekend for a pair of games, starting with Bethany Lutheran on Friday, February 9th. The Eagles will look to avenge an early season loss to the Vikings at 5:30 PM in the Ericksen Center. You can catch all the action on the Eagle Sports Network.
