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University of Wisconsin-Superior Athletics

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Wisconsin-Superior
Yellowjackets
Hailey Hart
Jed Carlson-Superior Telegram

Women's Basketball

Warhawks too much in playoff opener

Hailey Hart
Box Score

Whitewater 92, Yellowjackets 55
Box Score

Fourteen years ago today, February 21, 1998, the Yellowjackets took down UW-Whitewater.  The game, a 56-55 win for the Yellowjackets, came at the home of the Warhawks, Kachel Gym.  Could history repeat itself in the first round of the 2012 WIAC playoffs?  Not if the Warhawks had anything to say about it.

And they indeed did have something to say about it.

They had a lot to say about it, and they said it early and often.  The Warhawks came out firing, shooting over 51% from the field in the first half, including 7-11 from three-point range, building a huge advantage early and cruising to a 92-55 win over the Yellowjackets before a crowd of 148.

The loss ends the Yellowjackets' season with a record of 12-14.  The Warhawks, meanwhile, advance to the WIAC semifinals where they will take on UW-Eau Claire on Thursday.

Chantel Burg hit a three early, a harbinger of things to come, and the Warhawks were off and running, building a ten-point lead before the game was four minutes old.  The minutes ticked away and the threes kept falling.  A Connie Urmanski (Edgar, Wis./Edgar) layup made it a 17-10 game with 14:01 to play in the first half, but unfortunately, that was the last time the deficit was under ten points.  The Warhawks went on a 33-8 run to close out the half and led 50-18 at the break.

The Yellowjackets struggled to hit from anywhere in the first half, making just eight field goals in shooting 29.6%  The story was most clearly told from outside the arc.  The Yellowjackets were 0-3 from three-point range in the first half, while the Warhawks went 7-11.

Kailee McDonald (Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti) and Urmanski led the Yellowjackets with four points in the opening half.

The second half brought more of the same, as an 18-8 run to start the half made it a 42-point game.  The Yellowjackets did eventually begin to shoot better, as they improved their shooting to 41.2% in the second half, but it was too little too late. 

A 25-10 run did close the gap to 78-51, but that was as close as the Yellowjackets would get before time ran out on them and the 2011-12 season.

Hailey Hart (Osseo, Wis./Osseo-Fairchild) and Bri Davis (Hermantown, Minn./Hermantown) led the Yellowjackets with eight points each, followed by Urmanski and Keely Deadrick (Esko, Minn./Esko) who each had six points.  Davis had a team-best seven rebounds, while she along with Hart and Urmanski led the team with two assists each.  Hart also had four steals in the game.

Mary Merg led the Warhawks with 18 points, while Jamie Swanson and Sam Quandt chipped in 17 and 10, respectively.

The game was the final game as Yellowjackets for Hart and Davis, who closed out remarkable careers.  Hart leaves UW-Superior tied for sixth in games played (94), sixth in points (1,057) and fifth in rebounds (633).  Davis will leave tied for fourth in games played (95) and tenth in rebounds (526).  With her points in this game, she jumped two slots to ninth all-time (943).  Davis will also graduate with the second-highest field goal percentage of all-time (.503).

Heading into her senior year, Urmanski is poised to make a leap up the charts in several categories.  She is ranked 14th in points (853) and tied for fifth in assists (194).  She is currently the all-time leader in three-point field goals (157) and is second all-time in free throw percentage (.853).  She also is on the verge of cracking the top-ten all-time in games played.  She currently has played in 76 games, just 16 shy of tying for tenth.
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