SUPERIOR, Wis. – The Yellowjacket women's basketball team hosted the Eagles of Northwestern Wednesday evening. Superior has displayed strong efforts in this season's Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) contests thus far, as they entered Wednesday in first place.
 
The 'Jackets showcased why they stand atop the league after the first half, shooting roughly 50 percent from the field and leading 34-26.
 
However, Northwestern, who recently topped off the UMAC leading Knights of Martin Luther, would orchestrate a 21-point fourth quarter to force overtime. The Eagles' momentum carried into the final five-minute quarter, as UNW emerged victorious 76-69.
 
Game Notes

• Early on both teams traded shots left and right. Charlotte Ferstl (Plain, Wis./River Valley) got the scoring started before the Eagles hit a three from Ella Falk. MyKenzie Leccia (Somerset, Wis./Somerset) and Elise Besonen (Ewen, Mich./Ewen-Trout Creek) hit back-to-back shots beyond the arc, but UNW was right there to respond.
• Emily Dehler (Pierz, Minn./Pierz Healy) took a feed from Olson and converted a jumper inside the paint to lead 12-9, and as both teams continued to provide offense, the first quarter would end with Superior leading by two at 18-16.
• An Olson trey led to another long shot from Leccia, and the Yellowjackets received a trio of points from Ferstl off a layup and splitting her shots at the charity stripe.
• Chloe Peterson (Hutchinson, Minn./Hutchinson) came up big late in the second quarter after drawing a foul and converting the and-one, boosting the 'Jackets by nine at 30-21.
• Leading by as much as 11, the Eagles shrunk the 'Jackets' lead by eight on two occasions, heading into the locker room down 34-26.
• Superior would post a game-high of 22 points in the third, with Ferstl and Leccia beginning the charge. Besonen, Olson and Dehler later added to the Yellowjackets' lead, ultimately heading into the third with a 15-point margin at 56-41.
• With the help of missed baskets and turnovers from UWS, the Eagles began to engineer a strong comeback. An 11-0 run brought Northwestern within four at 56-52 before Dehler split her free throws after drawing a foul.
• Dobson sent a pass to Reese Aune (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing) with 3:28 remaining in regulation as she drained a long ball, but the Eagles continued to push the pace. With under a minute left, the Eagles drew a steal and saw Lexi Hagen inside the paint to log a jumper at 62-62.
• In the waning moments of the fourth, Olson missed a jump shot before Dobson grabbed the offensive board but was unable to convert sending the game to overtime.
• A quick five points saw the Eagles lead by five. Besonen drew a foul and hit both shots at the line, but another five points gave UNW an eight-point lead at 72-64.
• With under a minute remaining the 'Jackets were within five, but a costly pair of fouls sent the Eagles to the line. The Yellowjackets would draw a foul late and Besonen nailed both free throws, but Northwestern's comeback was too strong as they drew even with the Yellowjackets in conference standings with a 76-69 win.
• Besonen led the 'Jackets with 18 points and four rebounds. Olson finished with 15, while Leccia and Ferstl were responsible for 12 and 11 points, respectively.
• Dobson led Superior with ten boards on the night.
• Eagles' Ella Falk and Jasmine Sondrol each scored 20 points Wednesday, spearheading the charge for Northwestern.

 
The Yellowjackets now share first place with the Eagles on the conference leaderboard after Martin Luther fell to Bethany Lutheran. UWS returns to the court Saturday to face the Knights inside the Mertz, with the opening tipoff set for 4:45 p.m. in Superior.
  Read Full Article