SUPERIOR, Wis.: The UW-Superior women's basketball team won its third consecutive game Saturday with a balanced team effort at Mertz Mortorelli Gym, topping UW-Eau Claire, 75-64.
Three players scored double digits and five registered at least five points for the Yellowjackets, who improved to 5-1, beating an old WIAC rival. The Blugolds, who came in winners of four of their first five games, dropped to 4-2.
Hannah Norlin (Litchfield, Minn./Litchfield) had a game-high 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting and Emily Carpenter (St. Peter, Minn./St. Peter) scored a career-high 21 on the strength of five 3-pointers. Eva Reinertsen (Duluth, Minn./Homeschooled) chipped in 11 points, while Kaly Kostrova (Rhinelander, Wis./Rhinelander) hit two of her three shots from beyond the arc for a career-best six points.
A Carpenter three halfway through the first quarter gave the 'Jackets their largest lead of the period at 14-9. The Blugolds battled back cut the deficit to just one at 16-15 by the end of the quarter when Hallee Hoeppner  grabbed a defensive rebound and made a layup on the last possession.
Eau Claire rattled off the next four points to take a three-point lead, its biggest of the game, but another Carpenter trey, this one assisted by Ellie Leadstrom (Superior, Wis./Superior), knotted the game at 21-all. Kostrova followed with one of her two from long range to give UWS the lead back with 2:13 gone in the second.
Norlin tallied the next three to grow the lead to six a minute later before Eau Claire responded with a bucket. Threes from Carpenter and Katie White (Pequot Lakes, Minn./Pequot Lakes) pushed it to a 10-point bulge for the first time at 33-23 with 3:15 before the half.
The Blugolds pushed back with a Kelsey Bakken triple in the final minute for a 37-33 margin at the break.
Norlin made it an 11-point, 52-41 game, in the third with a layup with 4:34 left, before the visitors drew to within six heading into the final period when Katie Essen hit a shot with two minutes to go for a 55-49 game.
Eau Claire got as close as three on two occasions in the fourth, but UWS held strong and came away with the victory.
Superior shot 52 percent in the first half and 42 percent for the game, while limiting the opposition to 37 percent for the day.
Hoeppner, Bakken and Essen led the Blugolds with 20, 15 and 14 points, respectively.
UWS opens UMAC play Wednesday at 5:30 at St. Scholastica.
