ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Northwestern Women's Basketball team continues to find a way to win. Facing a tough University of Minnesota Morris team which sat only one game behind Northwestern and UW-Superior for top billing in the UMAC entering Saturday, the gritty Eagles were able to fend off the Cougars, behind a career day from
Ella Falk (Jamestown, N.D./Jamestown), to win their fifth game in a row and improve to 14-7 on the season (8-2 in the UMAC).
UNW drew first blood, getting mid-range baskets from Falk and
Jasmine Sondrol (Grand Forks, N.D./Red River) to take an early 4-0 lead. Minnesota Morris tied it at four before Falk collected an offensive rebound and laid the ball back in. Four more Sondrol points and a
Lexi Hagen (Jordan, Minn./Jordan) three-pointer pushed Northwestern's lead to five, which is where it would remain when time expired after Falk made a leaning jump shot with a minute to go, making the score 15-10.
The lead grew to seven after a short-corner jumper by Hagen opened the second-quarter scoring. UMM scored the next four points to pull within three, then the teams began trading scores. Falk converted another second-chance put-back,
Lexi Garcia (Colorado Springs, Colo./Vanguard) drained a left-handed floater and
Taylor Christenson (Maple Grove, Minn./Heritage Christian Academy) sunk two free throws to keep the Eagles ahead by five at 23-18. Sondrol drilled a three with 3:32 remaining in the half, then made a free throw on the ensuing trip to give Northwestern its largest lead of the day at nine points. The hosts were not able to sustain the momentum; however, as the Cougars scored the final six points of the period to make the score 27-25 in favor of Northwestern heading into halftime.
Two early free throws for Morris evened the score at 27, but Sondrol struck right back with a layup. On the following UNW possession, Hagen tracked down an offensive rebound that led to an old-fashioned three-point play for Falk to put the Eagles up by three. The lead remained three after Hagen finished a post move with her left hand, and grew to four when Christenson converted an and-one on Northwestern's next trip. A Sondrol post finish extended the advantage to six, but UMM scored 10 of the next 12 points in the game to gain a 43-41 edge, only disrupted by a Hagen jump shot in the painted area. Two Garcia free throws and two Falk jumpers later, it was all square at 47 heading into the final stanza.
One would think UNW has a renewed confidence in fourth quarters after Wednesday's exhilarating win at UW-Superior in which the Eagles erased a 15-point deficit through three quarters to win in overtime. That appeared to be the case Saturday as well, as Northwestern's main cast made the crucial plays necessary to win, starting with Christenson's first trey of the game on the opening possession. Garcia buried one herself on the very next possession, making it 53-49 in favor of UNW. A similarly gritty team, Minnesota Morris was able to tie the game, but the Eagles rattled off the next five points to take control back.
Falk turned a good day into a career day, scoring Northwestern's next seven points to put her team up, 65-57, with just over three minutes left. UMM was in the midst of getting a phenomenal game from its star player, Maddy Grove, as well, but Falk had the Cougars' defense in fits. A 7-0 run by Morris suddenly made it a one-point game with 1:19 left, but UNW forced a huge turnover and Hagen calmly sunk a pair of free throws with four seconds left to ensure her team couldn't lose in regulation. A three-point attempt from Grove at the buzzer rattled in-and-out, giving Cardiac Kahl and his squad another down-to-the-wire victory.
Falk's second-consecutive 20+ point outing resulted in a career-high of 24 points, along with six rebounds, five of which were offensive. Sondrol made her presence known in every area, finishing with 14 points, six rebounds, three assists and three blocks. Hagen contributed 11 points and seven boards, while Garcia swiped four steals. Northwestern survived a 16.7% effort from three (and 34.3% from the field) by holding Morris to just 8.3% from deep, making 17-20 free throws, and forcing 16 turnovers while only committing six.
The Eagles will face another tough opponent on Wednesday, February 12
th when they pay Bethany Lutheran (8-13, 7-3 UMAC) a visit. The game is scheduled for 7:15 PM, following the conclusion of the men's game. Catch all the action on the UMAC Sports Network.
