HANCOCK, Mich. – The UW-Superior women's basketball team put four players in double figures, but host Finlandia led for all but 40 seconds and held on down the stretch for a 67-65 non-conference victory at the Paavo Nurmi Center Thursday.
The victory for the Lions (3-1) is their first in the series since Jan. 10, 2007, a 76-65 win at Mertz Mortorelli Gym. FinnU built a lead as large as eight points no fewer than three times in the third quarter. The Yellowjackets cut the deficit to four at 48-44 to close the period with a
Mady Sanders (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) layup, and inched to within a basket on a handful of occasions in the final minutes, but the Lions eked out the win.
UWS (3-4) received a team-high 14 points and seven rebounds from
Kaija Davies (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin), while
Kaelyn Christian (St. Michael, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville Senior) added 13 points and
Ellie Leadstrom (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) had 12. Freshman
Bryton Kukowski (Duluth, Minn./Hermantown) also chipped in with 12, all in the second half off the bench. Sanders contributed six points and eight assists.
Finlandia, which shot 41.5 percent from the field compared to 44.6 percent for Superior, converted 21-of-25 free throws. The Lions also held a 37-28 rebounding advantage and scored 34 points in the paint.
Superior's first lead of the game came just four and a half minutes in when Sanders rebounded her own miss and Leadstrom knocked down a jumper, making it a 5-4 game. Finlandia's Carsyn Osterman hit a jumper in the lane on the next possession as the Lions retook control. Davies then gave the UWS a 19-18 lead with a 3-pointer off of a feed from Sanders with 7:21 remaining in the second quarter before Finlandia went on a 6-0 run for a 24-19 advantage.
FinnU led 14-13 after one and 33-29 at halftime. The Lions got a game-high 23 points and team-best-tying seven boards from Katie Lundeen. Osterman had 11 points, seven boards and six assists, and Mariah Austin scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds.
The 'Jackets return home Saturday to host Minnesota Morris at Mortorelli Gym. Tip time is 3 p.m.
