MANKATO, Minn. – The Yellowjacket women's basketball team resumed Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) action Saturday, traveling to North Gymnasium to take on Bethany Lutheran. The 'Jackets have started to find their groove, grabbing a pair of wins in their last two outings. After rolling past North Central in the conference opener, the Yellowjackets looked to continue their winning ways in the early stages of the second half.
Both teams traded blows throughout the contest, as the opening half saw the 'Jackets and Vikings stay within arm's reach of each other. The latter half would begin rather slow, but the fourth quarter saw both fanbases on the edge of their seat. With Superior within one,
Elise Besonen (Ewen, Mich./Ewen-Trout Creek) sent a fadeaway up and converted, pushing the Yellowjackets ahead and ultimately leaving North Gymnasium with a 64-63 victory.
Game Notes
- Charlotte Ferstl (Plain, Wis./River Valley) and Katie Dobson (Black River Falls, Wis./Black River Falls) began Superior's scoring before the Vikings countered early. Besonen, alongside MyKenzie Leccia (Somerset, Wis./Somerset) would aid the offense, but BLC continued to respond, trailing by two at 18-16 heading into the second.
- Elsa Olson (Cottage Grove, Minn./Park) drew a foul early on and nailed both shots at the line before Chloe Peterson (Hutchinson, Minn./Hutchinson) finished a layup while drawing a foul. She capitalized on the three-point play, sitting in a logjam at 25-25.
- Later she drew another foul from the Vikings and garnered two more points. BLC led within six with under a minute to go, but back-to-back jumpers from Besonen helped bring the Yellowjackets within two heading into the intermission.
- Both teams struggled to produce offensively in the third, leading to just eight points from Superior and nine from Bethany Lutheran.
- Leading by three, the Vikings extended their lead to six on multiple occasions early in the fourth quarter. Besonen and Leccia's efforts brought the game within one before Olson tied things up at 50-50 midway through.
- The Vikings and Yellowjackets traded blows, as either team couldn't gain more than a three-point advantage. Olson drew a foul and logged two more points from the line, but a costly Yellowjacket foul beyond the arc sent a Viking to the line for three. After converting all three, the 'Jackets were forced to take a timeout and regroup.
- With mere seconds left in the contest, Besonen put up a fadeaway that landed. The Vikings would take a shot of their own before the horn sounded, but it was no good as Superior snuck away with the 64-63 win.
- Besonen led the way with 23 points, while Olson added 16 points and four rebounds. Dobson and Leccia each added nine points.
- Leading the 'Jackets in rebounds with seven was Ferstl. Dobson had six, while Emily Dehler (Pierz, Minn./Pierz Healy) would contribute five.
- Superior boasted a 93.3 percentage from the line Saturday, compared to Bethany's 60.
- BLC led the way with 26 points from bench players, but the 'Jackets totaled 19 points off turnovers.
The Yellowjackets return home Wednesday as they play host to the LumberJills of Northland College. The opening tipoff is slated for 7:15 p.m. inside Mertz Mortorelli Gymnasium.
