MANKATO, Minn. – The race for the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament somehow just got even more interesting.
With five teams clumped together and separated by just one game, all eyes were on Mankato Wednesday night to see who would win between the 8-2 University of Northwestern and 7-3 Bethany Lutheran College. Northwestern was tied with UW-Superior at the top, while Bethany was joined by two other teams at 7-3. Despite opening up an eight-point halftime advantage, the Eagles were unable to get the job done, falling by a 79-74 score and ending their five-game winning streak.
The first quarter was as back-and-forth as it gets.
Ella Falk (Jamestown, N.D./Jamestown) and
Grace Landvik (Roseville, Minn./Concordia Academy) kept UNW within one point In the first 3+ minutes before a
Taylor Christenson (Maple Grove, Minn./Heritage Christian Academy) layup gave Northwestern an 8-7 lead. A 9-0 run ensued, which included another Falk bucket and an and-one from
Jasmine Sondrol (Grand Forks, N.D./Red River), giving the Eagles some breathing room at 13-7. BLC began to get hot from three, but a Sondrol layup and two
Lexi Garcia (Colorado Springs, Colo./Vanguard) free throws kept UNW in front, 17-13.
Ryann Eddy (Northfield, Minn./Northfield) would make a layup with 1:20 left in the quarter to push the lead to six, but a 4-0 closing stretch from Bethany Lutheran made it 19-17 with one period complete.
The Vikings briefly took a 20-19 lead in the second quarter before
Allison Terry (Blaine, Minn./Blaine) answered back with a layup. Four points each from Falk and
Lexi Hagen (Jordan, Minn./Jordan), plus one from Christenson gave Northwestern a two-point edge at 30-28 before the Eagles kicked it in to high gear for the remainder of the half. A 10-2 run in the final 3:16 made it 42-34 at the half, in favor of UNW.
Bethany came out of the locker room red-hot, trimming its deficit to just one point before Hagen went on a 7-0 run all by herself to extend Northwestern's advantage back to eight at 49-41. BLC was able to cut it to five at the halfway-point, but a Christenson layup and a Falk free throw made it 52-46. The hosts made another push, pulling within two with under two to go in the third, but a Christenson three and a scoop layup by Garcia steadied the ships. With one quarter to go, the Eagles still seemed in control of the tight game, leading 57-52.
That control didn't last much longer, as Bethany Lutheran dominated the fourth quarter. Despite a
Grace Landvik (Roseville, Minn./Concordia Academy) layup, the Vikings opened the quarter on an 11-2 surge, putting them ahead for the first time since the early in the second quarter quarter, 63-59. Another triple from Christenson brought UNW within a point with 7:12 left, but that would be the closest the remainder of the game would be. Bethany went up by six before a paint finish from Falk and a
Reese Sellers (Yuma, Ariz./Yuma Catholic) three trimmed the deficit to four with 1:28 to play, but the Eagles couldn't get the necessary shots to fully give themselves a chance. Sondrol, Landvik and Hagen each scored one more time before the buzzer sounded, but the Vikings came away with a 79-74 win to help their tournament chances immensely and knock Northwestern out of a tie for first place.
Hagen was efficient all night, finishing with 19 points and six rebounds on 8-12 shooting. She only missed one shot inside of the three-point line. Falk was dialed in as well, shooting 6-9 en route to 13 points and five boards. Sondrol tallied 11 points, five rebounds and three assists, while Christenson also scored 11 to go along with two assists and two steals. Landvik racked up nine points and four assists, while Sellers dished out three assists. UNW shot 50% from the field as a team but just 25% from three.
Northwestern will be on the road once again on Saturday, February 15
th, when they take on North Central at 4:45 PM.
