NEW ULM, Minn. – The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference office knew what it was doing when it named Wednesday's University of Northwestern vs. Martin Luther College Women's Basketball tilt its UMAC Game of the Week. What looked like a potential blowout in favor of the home Knights after one quarter turned into an instant classic as the Eagles were able to claw back and force overtime thanks to some clutch shooting and defensive pressure. Ultimately, the extra period went Martin Luther's way by way of a 72-68 score. MLC improved to 9-4 overall and 3-0 in the UMAC, while Northwestern fell to 8-6 and 2-1 in the conference.
Lexi Hagen (Jordan, Minn./Jordan), who was named UMAC Player of the Week on Tuesday, scored UNW's first five points, but the Eagles trailed 9-5 in the process. A
Jasmine Sondrol (Grand Forks, N.D./Red River) layup after a deceptive, fake hand-off cut the lead to two, but the Knights answered with seven consecutive points before
Reese Sellers (Yuma, Ariz./Yuma Catholic) made a three-pointer off a
Grace Landvik (Roseville, Minn./Concordia Academy) kick out to stop the bleeding. Northwestern's final points of the quarter would come via another fake hand-off and drive by Sondrol, as MLC looked in complete command with a 23-12 advantage.
The second quarter belonged to the visitors, as layups by
Taylor Christenson (Maple Grove, Minn./Heritage Christian Academy) and
Ella Falk (Jamestown, N.D./Jamestown) got UNW within seven. Martin Luther was able to extend its lead to 13 at 30-17, but the Knights would go the final 6:47 of the first half without scoring a single point. Hagen began the Eagles' surge with an offensive rebound and put-back, which was followed by five straight points from Sellers to make it a six-point game.
Lexi Garcia (Colorado Springs, Colo./Vanguard) knocked down a trey with 90 seconds left, making the run 10-0 and pulling Northwestern within three at 30-27 heading into the half.
The scoring spurt reached 12-0 as Hagen began the third quarter with a left-handed layup to trim the deficit to one point. MLC was finally able to answer back after over seven minutes of scoreless offense with five consecutive points, but a Sondrol free throw and a strong finish inside by Falk kept the Eagles within three. A Christenson triple that was a product of elite ball movement by the UNW offense made it 38-35, Knights, but Martin Luther was able to close the period strong, holding a 47-39 lead.
MLC carried an 8-0 run over from the third quarter into the fourth, which was thwarted by
Allison Terry (Blaine, Minn./Blaine) scoring her first basket of the season after missing the first 13 games due to injury. A quick three on the other end by the Knights made it an 11-point game, but Northwestern began to turn up the defensive pressure. After Landvik made a pair of free throws, Sellers stepped in front of a Martin Luther pass and took it the other way for a layup to make it 52-45. MLC and Christenson traded three-pointers and a free throw by the senior guard got her team within six, but things looked bleak for the Eagles as they trailed 58-50 with 1:09 remaining.
Christenson made two free throws to once again trim the deficit to six, but UNW was forced to foul. The Knights made one free throw and Head Coach
Aaron Kahl drew up a beautiful sideline out of bounds play, which ended in a Sellers three-pointer to pull within four at 59-55. Martin Luther again went 1-2 at the line, which was followed by Christenson knocking down a clutch three to make it 60-58. After another 1-2 trip to the charity stripe for MLC, Northwestern had one final chance for magic, and it came via its senior point guard. Christenson buried a step-back three-pointer with four seconds left to tie the game at 61, and despite calling a timeout to advance the ball, the Knights were unable to get a shot off before the buzzer sounded. The UMAC Game of the Week was now an instant classic and was headed to overtime.
The noticeable trend of the box score was Martin Luther winning the odd-numbered periods and Northwestern winning the even-numbered ones. Unfortunately for the purple and gold, overtime is the fifth period. MLC scored on its first possession, but Hagen answered right back for the Eagles to even the score at 63. A 6-0 run for the home team made it 69-63 with 1:40 left, once again putting UNW in a tough spot. Landvik calmly drained two free throws to pull within four, but the Knights scored on the other end. Sellers continued her stellar shooting with another clutch three to make it a three-point game with 1:12 left, and Northwestern got a stop, setting up another chance to make magic happen. The Eagles had their chances, getting three good looks off from behind the arc thanks to two offensive rebounds, but none of them fell and Martin Luther made one more free throw with 0.6 seconds left to seal a 72-68 win and remain atop the UMAC standings.
Christenson was UNW's top scorer with 17 points (including four three-pointers), adding two assists as well. Sellers was an efficient 6-8 shooting (4-5 from deep), finishing with 16 points, five rebounds and four steals, while Hagen polished off her third double-double in a row (and fourth this season) with 13 points and 15 rebounds. Landvik tallied five boards and three assists, while Sondrol collected five rebounds and blocked four shots.
The Eagles will be back in action Saturday at Minnesota Morris, a rematch of last year's UMAC Tournament Semifinal. Tip-off in Morris is slated for 3:45 PM, following the conclusion of the men's game. Catch all the action on the UMAC Sports Network.
