Junior forward Justine Larson (Stanchfield, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti H.S.) scored a season-high 22 points en route to earning the title of Upper Midwest Athletic Conference Tournament MVP, leading the University of Wisconsin Superior to a 72-46 victory over the University of Minnesota Morris in the UMAC Tournament Championship game on Saturday afternoon in Superior.

Larson earned her first double-double of the year, taking over in the second half with 15 points and seven boards after the break for 22-and-12 for the game. After shooting just 28.6 percent in the first half as a team, UW-Superior (23-4) came alive to shoot 39.5 percent in the second half. Larson finished 4-for-8 from three-point range as the Yellowjackets hit 7-of-13 from beyond the arc in the second half to pull away. UM-Morris (20-7) knocked down just one three-pointer as a team.

The second and fourth quarters were when UWS did the majority of its damage. After the two teams combined for just 15 points in the first quarter, with the Yellowjackets holding an 8-7 advantage, UW-Superior scored 22 points in the second quarter to hold a 30-17 advantage at the break. After playing an even third quarter, the Yellowjackets once again took off in the fourth, out-scoring UM-Morris 23-9 in the final frame.

UW-Superior held Cougars' top scorer sophomore Elli Stevenson to just 1-for-12 on the night in a shut-down defensive game. Morris shot just 30.9 percent as a team for the game, led by sophomore Bailey Miller's 11 points off the bench. Junior guard Hailey Kontny (Superior, Wis./Superior H.S.) added 20 points in a start for the Yellowjackets, while junior forward Bailee Bartunek (Audobon, Minn./Lake Park-Audobon H.S.) grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds to go with six points. UWS scored just 13 points off its bench, but the Yellowjackets netted 22 points off 23 Cougar turnovers. Superior had just four turnovers as a team.

UP NEXT
With the UMAC Tournament Championship in tow, the Yellowjackets punched their tickets to the NCAA Division III Tournament. UW-Superior will wait until Monday's NCAA Selection Show to learn their tournament fate. The show will broadcast on NCAA.com at 2:30 p.m. ET.