SUPERIOR, Wis. - Saturday afternoon was senior day for the Yellowjacket women's basketball team. Prior to the contest with Minnesota Morris, the Yellowjackets took a moment to honor senior Ellie Leadstrom (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior), who was making her final appearance on the court at Mertz Mortorelli Gym. The Yellowjackets wanted nothing more than to send their lone senior out a winner, but the Cougars had other ideas.

Morris went on an 11-0 run midway through the first quarter to build a 15-6 lead and didn't look back, downing the Yellowjackets 76-64. With the defeat, the Yellowjackets (3-5, 3-5 UMAC) will now have a non-conference game to close out the regular season before going on the road for the first round of the UMAC tournament.

Things started well for the Yellowjackets, as they ran their offense to perfection on the way to opening up a 6-4 lead. Morris had an answer with the 11-point run to take the lead. The Yellowjackets closed the gap to two at 15-13 in the closing minutes of the first quarter, but Morris again pulled away and midway through the second quarter they led 29-15. The teams exchange field goals down the stretch and the 'Jackets trailed 35-23 at the half.

In the second half the Yellowjackets again came out shooting well and closed to within six when Kaija Davied completed a three-point play with 7:19 to go in the third quarter. Morris' lead hovered around eight points for most of the third quarter, but the Cougars went on a 7-2 run to close the quarter and they led by 14, 58-44. The margin was too steep a hill to climb, and the Cougars closed out the double-digit win.

Kaelyn Christian (St. Michael, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville Senior) had another strong game for the Yellowjackets. The sophomore guard finished with a team-high 24 points on 10-19 shooting. She also had five assists and four rebounds. Davies finished with seven points and Leadstrom closed out the home portion of her career with a six-point, nine-rebound performance.

Ella Van Kempen and Haley Wollschlager each scored 14 points to lead the way for Morris.

The Yellowjackets will close out the regular season Monday, March 1 when they cross the bridge to take on St. Scholastica in a non-conference contest. Game time from Reif Gymnasium is set for 5:00 p.m.