SUPERIOR, Wis. – The Yellowjacket women's basketball team played host to Martin Luther College Saturday afternoon. When both teams faced each other in mid-January, they each boasted three-game winning streaks to open Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) play that made for an entertaining contest to ring in 2025.
 
Understandably so the conference logged this contest as its game of the week, and both teams exchanged the lead on multiple occasions throughout the contest. The final quarter saw the 'Jackets score a game-high 22 points, earning a 70-63 victory over the Knights to maintain their first place standing in the UMAC.
 
Game Notes

• MLC hit a three shortly after winning the opening tipoff, but they would foul Charlotte Ferstl (Plain, Wis./River Valley) who hit both shots from the charity stripe for the first pair of Superior points.
• Elise Besonen (Ewen, Mich./Ewen-Trout Creek), the most recent member of the 1,000-point club in Yellowjacket women's basketball history, hit a three after receiving a pass from Ferstl to knot things up early.
• MyKenzie Leccia (Somerset, Wis./Somerset) would log her first points of the game before the Knights would control the remainder of the first to lead 21-17.
• After grabbing a defensive board in the second quarter, Emily Dehler (Pierz, Minn./Pierz Healy) was sent to the line and split her free throws. Play continued with Leccia giving the 'Jackets a lead after taking a pass from Chloe Peterson (Hutchinson, Minn./Hutchinson) to hit a three, but the Knights quickly responded before both squads volleyed the lead.
• Leccia and Besonen, alongside Elsa Olson (Cottage Grove, Minn./Park) led the 'Jackets to a three-point lead heading into the break at 35-32.
• Ferstl, Besonen and Olson pushed the pace after the intermission, claiming a double-digit lead before the midway point of the third quarter at 44-34. However, the latter half of the third saw MLC regain ground, as they chopped the Yellowjacket lead to just two at 48-46.
• UWS outshot the Knights 22-17 in the final quarter to come away with their 12th victory of the 2024-25 season. Dehler garnered a pair of jumpers before Katie Dobson (Black River Falls, Wis./Black River Falls) drew a foul after driving through the lane for two, which led to Leccia, Ferstl and Olson shutting the door.
• Leccia spearheaded the charge, scoring 21 points which sets a new high-water mark in scoring. Olson followed with 15 points, while Besonen logged 11.
• Ferstl grabbed eight boards on the afternoon, while Dehler was responsible for six.
• Martin Luther was led by freshman Ava Stein, who scored 25 points off the bench and grabbed 10 rebounds for her second double-double of her young career.

 
With the win, UWS now sits in a tie of first place with Northwestern at 8-2. The 'Jackets will be back in action Wednesday as they travel to Northland College. The opening tip is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. inside Kendrigan Gymnasium.
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