The University of Wisconsin Superior returned to Upper Midwest Athletic Conference play as the Yellowjackets secured a 72-54 victory over bridge rival the College of St. Scholastica on the road Saturday in Duluth.

UW-Superior (10-4, 6-0 UMAC) jumped out on the Saints early leading by six at 21-15 after the first quarter and doubling the deficit by halftime with a 38-26 lead at the break. The Yellowjackets shot just 35.1 percent for the opening half (13-of-37) but knocked down four three-point attempts while hitting 8-of-14 at the free throw line. St. Scholastica (3-10, 2-4 UMAC) shot 57.1 percent (12-for-21) but went 0-for-4 on free throw attempts and 2-for-6 from three while turning the ball over 15 times in the first two quarters alone.

A quick three-pointer to open the second half helped the Saints cut into the lead at the start of the third quarter, but junior guard Amelia Leger (Andover, Minn./Andover H.S.) responded with a three-pointer of her own and the Yellowjackets were quickly back to the races, eventually pushing their lead out to a 26-point margin late in the fourth quarter. Leger knocked down a pair of three-pointers for six points on the day, but UW-Superior was led by freshman forward Eva Reinertsen (Duluth, Minn./Homeschooled) who had 19 points, going 3-for-6 from three-point range and 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Junior guard Hailey Kontny (Superior, Wis./Superior H.S.) also reached double digits with 13 points while sophomore forward Hannah Norlin (Litchfield, Minn./Litchfield H.S.) earned a double-double with 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

The Yellowjackets finished the day shooting 40.8 percent, continuing an upward trend after a slow first quarter to finish 29-of-71 from the floor. Impressively, UWS would not shoot a single free throw in the second half but still expanded on its lead by holding St. Scholastica to a much quieter second half. The Saints shot just 39.3 percent for the game, hitting 10-of-35 shots in the second half. Danielle Cieluch finished with a team-high 15 points for CSS.

UP NEXT
UW-Superior will be back home at Mertz Mortorelli Gymnasium for its next four games beginning Friday night, January 13 as the Yellowjackets play host to the University of Minnesota-Morris in UMAC action.