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Wisconsin-Superior
Yellowjackets
UMAC Playoff Champions
Jade Jensen

Women's Basketball Bryce Harp

Yellowjackets Win UMAC Playoff Championship, Clinch First Ever NCAA Playoff Birth

Box Score

Yellowjackets 58, Northwestern 34
 
For two seasons, the Yellowjacket women's basketball team enjoyed extremely successful regular seasons, only to have the post-season end in heartbreak.
 
First, the Yellowjackets, unexpectedly according to some, advanced to the WIAC championship game at UW-Oshkosh, only to see the season end in defeat. Then last season, following the school's first-ever WIAC regular season title the Yellowjackets hosted the conference championship game, but again they were dispatched by UW-Oshkosh, this time on their home court.
 
Both times, despite exemplary seasons, the Yellowjackets were left on the outside-looking-in at the NCAA tournament.
 
In 2015-16 the Yellowjackets moved to the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference, and this time they followed an unprecedented regular season with the most successful playoff run in school history.
 
After Wednesday's home victory propelled the Yellowjackets into the title game, they put their unbeaten home record on the line against the University of Northwestern, the No. 2 seed in the conference playoffs.
 
And the Yellowjackets picked a great time to have one of their best outings of the record-setting campaign, exorcising their post-season demons.
 
Allie Nelson (Augusta, Wis./Augusta) and Justine Larson (Stanchfield, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti) got the Yellowjackets going early as they opened up a commanding first-quarter lead and cruised to the win, 58-34, Saturday at Mertz Mortorelli Gym.
 
With the win the Yellowjackets claimed the UMAC Playoff Championship, the first in school history. More importantly, they earned the UMAC's automatic qualifier into the NCAA tournament, also a first for the program.
 
Sarah Lekson (North Branch, Minn./North Branch), who put together a pair of dominating performances in the conference tournament, including a 15-point, three-rebound effort off the bench Saturday, was named the UMAC Playoff Most Valuable Player.
 
The Yellowjackets dominated early in this one, opening the game with an Allie Nelson (Augusta, Wis./Augusta) 3-pointer and following it up with a Grace Kennedy (Wausau, Wis./Newman Catholic) jumper to go up 5-0 with 8:32 remaining in the first quarter. Northwestern finally got on the board with 8:00 remaining, but it was all Yellowjackets from that point on, as they outscored the Eagles 16-8 over the remainder of the quarter to go into the first break leading 21-10.

The Yellowjackets dominance continued into the second quarter. A Bailee Bartunek (Audobon, Minn./Lake Park-Audobon) layup and Hailey Kontny (Superior, Wis./Superior) free throw pushed the Yellowjacket lead to 24-10 with 8:36 remaining in the quarter. Northwestern then went on a 5-0 run to cut the Yellowjacket lead down to 24-15 with 7:28 remaining in the second. That was all the closer the Eagles would get, as the Yellowjackets outscored them 18-5 the rest of the quarter to go into halftime with a commanding 42-20 lead.

The offense slowed down slightly in the third quarter, but the Yellowjackets were still in command of the game. They opened the quarter on a 6-2 run to go up 48-22 on a Bartunek jumper with 6:49 remaining in the third. The Yellowjacket took it easy the rest of the quarter, as they went into the final break with a 52-27 lead.

The Yellowjackets, holding a dominating 25 point lead, went on cruise control in the fourth quarter. When the game was all but decided, Yellowjacket coach Don Mulhern got many of his reserves into the game to get the playoff experience, as the Yellowjackets won their first ever playoff championship.

The Yellowjackets will now have to wait and see where the NCAA selection committee places them on Monday afternoon to see who and where they will be playing in their first ever NCAA playoff appearance.
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Players Mentioned

Bailee Bartunek

#12 Bailee Bartunek

F
5' 10"
Sophomore
Grace Kennedy

#2 Grace Kennedy

F
5' 10"
Senior
Justine Larson

#15 Justine Larson

F
5' 10"
Sophomore
Sarah Lekson

#32 Sarah Lekson

F
5' 11"
Junior
Allie Nelson

#14 Allie Nelson

G
5' 4"
Senior
Hailey Kontny

#24 Hailey Kontny

G
5' 8"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Bailee Bartunek

#12 Bailee Bartunek

5' 10"
Sophomore
F
Grace Kennedy

#2 Grace Kennedy

5' 10"
Senior
F
Justine Larson

#15 Justine Larson

5' 10"
Sophomore
F
Sarah Lekson

#32 Sarah Lekson

5' 11"
Junior
F
Allie Nelson

#14 Allie Nelson

5' 4"
Senior
G
Hailey Kontny

#24 Hailey Kontny

5' 8"
Sophomore
G