SUPERIOR, Wis. – Saturday saw the Yellowjacket women's basketball team take on Bethany Lutheran College inside Mertz Mortorelli Gym. As the 'Jackets entered the contest in sole possession of first place in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference standings, Saturday's game against another team in the upper quadrant of the league was a big one.
 
The Yellowjackets held control for majority of the first half, scoring 29 points the opening quarters. Superior garnered a game-high 21 points in the third quarter, but the Vikings stayed within at least four points in each period before outscoring 18-8 to win 68-58 inside the Mertz.
 
Game Notes

• The first quarter was rather even between the two teams, as Elsa Olson (Cottage Grove, Minn./Park) took a pass from Katie Dobson (Black River Falls, Wis./Black River Falls) and sunk a shot beyond the arc. Later Dobson finished a nothing-but-net shot for a triple at 6-4.
• UWS would lead by four points on two separate occasions, but that's all the Vikings would give them as they nearly traded blows in the first 10 minutes, ending with a Superior advantage of 12-10.
• The Vikings began the quarter with a three pointer before they fired off a barrage of shots from across the court. Charlotte Ferstl (Plain, Wis./River Valley) entered the scoring with a layup courtesy of an Olson assist, while Elise Besonen (Ewen, Mich./Ewen-Trout Creek) hit a layup after drawing a foul.
• Completing the three-point play, the 'Jackets led 25-18. BLC cut it down to two points until Emily Dehler (Pierz, Minn./Pierz Healy) drew a foul and hit both from the charity stripe. As the Vikings tied things twice, they hit a layup with five seconds remaining to enter the half at 31-29.
• Superior countered with a 21-point quarter of their own, beginning with layups from Besonen and Ferstl. The duo continued to push the pace as Besonen nailed a three right at the midway point of the third.
• Chloe Peterson (Hutchinson, Minn./Hutchinson) finished a pair of layups inside the paint to bring the 'Jackets up three at 47-44 before the Vikings traded points. A layup from Bethany Lutheran capped the third with the score tied at 50-50.
• Back-to-back fouls by the Yellowjackets gave BLC a four-point edge. The Yellowjackets came within three, but that's as close as Superior got. Seven-straight points and a bundle of free throws boosted the Vikings to a ten-point victory at 68-58.
• Besonen led offensively with 15 points. Olson followed with 14, while Ferstl logged a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards.
• BLC shot 47.9 from field goal range, compared to Superior's 40.7 percentage.

 
With the loss, UW-Superior falls to 13-10 overall, and share a three-way tie of first in the UMAC at 9-3. Their next matchup is set for Wednesday as they host Crown, with a tipoff at 7:15 p.m. in Superior.
  Read Full Article