Yellowjackets 69, North Central 62
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.: The Yellowjacket women's basketball team hit the court Saturday afternoon with nothing to play for. And everything to play for.
Last Saturday's home win over Bethany Lutheran gave the Yellowjackets a share of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference's regular season title. More importantly, it gave them the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament for the fourth year in a row. There was one piece of unfinished business, however, and that was clinching the conference championship outright.
Business has been taken care.
In a game that was close from start to finish the Yellowjackets outlasted a stubborn North Central squad and picked up a 69-62 victory at the Clark-Danielson Life Center Gymnasium.
The win gives the Yellowjackets (23-2, 15-1 UMAC) their fourth UMAC regular season championship in a row, and dating back to the program's final season in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, the win marks five straight seasons the Yellowjackets have been able to raise a regular season conference championship banner to the rafters of Mertz Mortorelli Gym.
Hannah Norlin (Litchfield, Minn./Litchfield), who posted a double-double in the game, opened the scoring for the Yellowjackets, hitting a layup just over 90 seconds into the contest. The Yellowjackets would build up a lead of seven points, but as time dwindled in the quarter North Central cut it down, and at the horn the Yellowjackets led 15-11. As the second quarter unfolded the Yellowjackets started out hot, especially from outside the arc.
Emily Carpenter (St. Peter, Minn./St. Peter),
Eva Reinertsen (Duluth, Minn./Homeschooled), and
Sydney Franks (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) all hit threes in the first five minutes of the frame, as the Yellowjackets went on a 15-4 run to open up a 30-15 lead. But as quickly as the lead appeared, it vanished. The Yellowjackets would score just five points the rest of the way and in the process would see their lead shaved down to six, and they would head to the locker room leading 35-29.
In the second half the Yellowjackets again started strong, once again pushing their lead into double figures. A Reinertsen jumper with 7:23 to go in the third quarter sent the Yellowjackets to an 11-point lead. North Central would again cut into the lead, but Carpenter hit a jump shot late in the quarter to put the 'Jackets up 10. North Central would hit a bucket at the buzzer and the teams went to the fourth quarter with the Yellowjackets leading 48-40.
The teams traded baskets in the fourth quarter, and the Yellowjackets moved ahead by as many as 12 points, but North Central just wouldn't go away. Down the stretch North Central pressed and as able to close the gap, but it wasn't enough against a tough Yellowjacket defense. The final buzzer sounded with the Yellowjackets picking up the seven-point win.
Carpenter, Norlin, and Reinertsen combined for 51 of the Yellowjackets' 69 points. Reinertsen led the way with a team-high 20, shooting 6-of-9 in the game including 4-of-6 from three. Carpenter dropped in 16 points and had a game-high eight assists. Norlin finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Marissa Ruiz (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley) contributed seven points off the bench for the Yellowjackets.
The Yellowjackets will now wait to find out who their first opponent will be in the UMAC playoffs. The two lowest seeds - No. 4 Northwestern and No. 5 North Central will play Monday evening, with the winner advancing to the semifinals where they will meet the Yellowjackets. That contest will be at 7:30 p.m. at Mertz Mortorelli Gym in Superior.
Stay tuned to www.uwsyellowjackets.com for up-to-the-minute Yellowjacket women's basketball playoff information.
