SUPERIOR, Wis. – The UW-Superior women's basketball team stuck with Northwestern for three quarters before the Eagles pulled away in the final 10 minutes for 53-41 victory on Senior Day at Mertz Mortorelli Gymnasium on Saturday. 
 
UNW pushed its winning streak to 10 games, outscoring the Yellowjackets, 16-6, in the fourth quarter after allowing Superior to hang around. 
 
Senior Brianna O'Donnell (Richfield, Minn./Richfield) scored 10 points and corralled seven rebounds in what was likely the final home game of her career. O'Donnell was one of three players honored at halftime for contributions to the program, joining fellow senior – and four-year squad member Maddie Larson (Stanchfield, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti) – and junior Kaija Davies (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin), who will be graduating in the spring.
 
UWS (5-16, 4-8 UMAC) led by as many as six points midway through the first quarter when Bryton Kukowski (Duluth, Minn./Hermantown) stripped a UNW player of the ball and Elise Besonen (Ewen, Mich./Ewen-Trout Creek) found Paige Servais (Savage, Minn./Burnsville) for a 3-pointer and 14-8 advantage.
 
The Eagles' Kelsea Lund tied the game at 16-16 with 1:43 left in period with a trey of her own and Ashlyn Jones put the visitors ahead with a layup inside the final minute.
 
A jumper from Hailey Paup jumper at the 4:02 mark of the second quarter opened a 31-20 UNW lead, but the 'Jackets pushed back, closing the half with a 7-0 run to go into the locker room down just four points, 31-27. O'Donnell scored six points in the stretch.
 
Superior extended the spurt into the third quarter as O'Donnell and junior Mady Sanders (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) each scored to tie the game at 31-31 with 6:38 to play. Lund, though, drained another triple at the 5:29 mark for the lead and Northwestern never trailed the rest of the day.
 
UWS hung tough nonetheless heading into the fourth quarter down just 37-35 when Allison Luoma (Iron River, Wis./Northwestern) hit a pair of free throws with 2:07 on the clock.
 
UNW used a 7-0 stretch to begin the fourth for separation. The lead grew to 47-37 on a Megan Roberts 3-pointer at the 7:24 mark and the Yellowjackets could not mount a comeback.
 
Servais scored a team-high 12 points, adding three assists, while Kukowski finished with six points and five rebounds. 
 
Lund had a game-best 17 points to go with six steals, pacing a group of three Eagles scoring in double figures. 
 
UNW improved to 16-5 overall and 11-1 in the UMAC with the win.
 
Next up for Superior is a date at Finlandia 4:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday at Paavo Nurmi Center in Hancock, Mich.