MANKATO, Minn. -- Four starters scored double figures, led by sophomore guard Katie Dobson (Black River Falls, Wis./Black River Falls) with a career-high 18 points, as the UW-Superior women's basketball team posted an 79-64 victory at Bethany Lutheran to open Upper Midwest Athletic Conference play on Friday.
 
The Yellowjackets (3-4, 1-0 UMAC) shot a season-high 48 percent from the field and 54 percent from 3-point range, snapping a seven-game losing streak against the Vikings, dating to Feb. 9, 2019, a 74-61 win at Mertz Mortorelli Gym.
 
Trailing, 37-34, at halftime, UWS outscored Bethany Lutheran (1-6, 0-1), 21-11, in the third quarter to take control of the game. The Vikings went cold from the floor in the period, misfiring of 10-of-12 shots, while Superior knocked down half of its 10 attempts, taking a seven-point advantage into the final 10 minutes of play. The 'Jackets put the game away in that stanza with the help of sophomore guard Elise Besonen (Ewen, Mich./Ewen-Trout Creek), who scored nine of her 14 on the night then.
 
Senior Kaelyn Christian (St. Michael, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville Senior) added 14 points and five rebounds of her own, while junior Bryton Kukowski (Duluth, Minn./Hermantown) chipped in with 10 points and five boards as Superior halted a four-game skid overall. UWS held a 39-30 rebounding edge and had 13 assists on 23 made baskets.
 
Following a tight first quarter, BLC canned five 3-pointers as part of a 29-point second period that saw them earn the halftime advantage. UWS led by as many as nine at 21-12 when Christian finished a three-point play at the 6:21 mark. From there, Bethany engineered a 20-10 run that gave it a 32-31 lead with 1:38 left when Skylar Cotten hit a 3-pointer.
 
UWS took its first lead of the second half on an jumper from junior Erika Mattson (Ely, Minn./Ely Memorial), assisted by classmate Lindrey Schendel (Firestone, Colo./Skyline), to make it a 47-46 game with 3:39 to play in the third. Mattson finished with a career-best nine points.
 
Besonen gave her team a 58-48 edge inside the first minute of the fourth quarter and Superior held a double-digit advantage the rest of the night, growing it to as many as 17 with a Besonen free throw in the final seconds.
 
Cotton paced Bethany with 17 points while Sara Kottke had 15; Taryn Christensen led all players with nine rebounds.
 
The Yellowjackets are back in action Saturday when they travel to New Ulm, Minn., to take on Martin Luther at 4:45 p.m.