The University of Wisconsin Superior continued its dominance against Upper Midwest Athletic Conference foes, winning its 35th-straight game against conference competition including two-straight undefeated regular seasons and three postseason victories as the Yellowjackets defeated Bethany Lutheran College 69-54 in the UMAC Tournament semifinal round at Mertz Mortorelli Gymnasium on Wednesday night.

UW-Superior (22-4) took the first step to claiming its second-straight trip to the NCAA Division III postseason by advancing to Saturday's UMAC Championship with an automatic bid to the "big dance" on the line in Superior. The Yellowjackets will take on the University of Minnesota Morris in the title game after the Cougars defeated the University of Northwestern 71-62 on the other side of the bracket Wednesday night.

Junior guard Hailey Kontny (Superior, Wis./Superior H.S.) led the way for UW-Superior posting 14 points as the Yellowjackets rolled past Bethany Lutheran (13-14) despiting shooting just 35.8 percent as a team in their tournament opener. UWS would score 27 points off 28 Viking turnovers while also hitting 16-of-23 shots from the free throw line. The Yellowjackets played a disciplined game, meanwhile, giving Bethany just eight total trips to the free throw line while turning the ball over just 15 times. After the Vikings scored the first basket of the game, UW-Superior answered with a pair of free throws and quickly took the lead, never trailing after the midpoint of the first quarter. The Yellowjackets built up a game-high 24-point lead opening the fourth quarter with a 15-2 run before head coach Don Mulhern turned the game over to his reserves for the closing minutes of the game.

Sophomore forward Hannah Norlin (Litchfield, Minn./Litchfield H.S.) had a game-high 12 rebounds to go with eight points for UW-Superior. First-year forward Eva Reinertsen (Duluth, Minn./Homeschooled) added 10 points off the bench. Brooke Henning had a game-high 18 points to go with nine rebounds leading Bethany Lutheran. The Vikings shot 40.4 percent as a team, knocking down seven three-pointers as they tried to make a late push against the Yellowjackets.

UP NEXT
UW-Superior and UM-Morris will battle for the UMAC Championship Saturday afternoon at Mertz Mortorelli Gym. Opening tip is set for 3:00 p.m. in Superior.