The University of Wisconsin Superior escaped its first weekend of Upper Midwest Athletic Conference play unscathed after defeating North Central University 87-41 on Saturday afternoon in Minneapolis.

After the two teams traded baskets to start the game, the Yellowjackets ran off a 14-0 run before the Rams hit a pair of free throws with 2:46 remaining in the opening quarter. UW-Superior (3-3, 2-0 UMAC) would cruise to a 22-9 lead after the opening frame. North Central (0-6, 0-2 UMAC) finished the first half shooting just 33.3 percent (9-of-27) but had a far more representative second quarter against the Yellowjackets, as UWS would only add two points to its lead, out-scoring the Rams 17-15 for a halftime score of 39-24.

UW-Superior added a second run, this time 15 consecutive points, to begin the third quarter as the Yellowjackets opened up the score with a 27-7 margin in period.  UWS emptied its bench with 18 players seeing action on the day and 15 scoring at least a point. Junior guard Brittany Laehn (Gilmanton, Wis./Gilmanton H.S.) had a team-high 14 points, while junior forward Bailee Bartunek (Audobon, Minn./Lake Park-Audobon H.S.) had 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Freshman Emily Carpenter (St. Peter, Minn./St. Peter H.S.) added 11 points off the bench. Lizzy Swanson had 14 points for the Rams, while Annabel Morrisroe added a game-best 14 rebounds.

North Central shot just 28.3 percent for the game on 15-of-53 shooting. The Yellowjackets combined for 42.3 percent on 30-of-71 for the afternoon. UWS added to the difference at the free throw line, hitting 22-of-30 chances while NCU was just 6-of-14 from the charity stripe.

UP NEXT
UW-Superior will have a brief break from conference play as the team hits the road to take on in-state rival the University of Wisconsin-Stout on Tuesday night. Opening tip between the Yellowjackets and Blue Devils is set for 7:00 p.m. in Menomonie, Wisconsin.