The Cougars raced out to a 14-3 lead and never looked back on Friday night.
ASHLAND, Wis.– The University of Minnesota Morris women’s basketball team took an early lead on Northland College on Friday night and continued to pull away in the second half for a 58-42 victory. The win lifts the Cougars to 4-9 (2-1 UMAC) on the season.
In the first six minutes of the contest, Minnesota Morris grabbed a 14-3 lead and never had its lead fall below five points the rest of the way. Malory Anderson started the game off with a three-pointer, followed by a bucket from Jay Kwateh for a 5-0 lead. After a Northland triple, the Cougars reeled off nine in a row with Tariq Brownotter supplying back-to-back treys. The quarter ended with UMN Morris out in front, 16-9.
The Minnesota Morris advantage reached double-digits once again at 21-11 in the second quarter on a free throw from Kwateh. A layup from Lexus Eagle Chasing with less than three minutes until halftime made it 25-16, but the Cougars went cold offensively down the stretch and the LumberJills were able to cut it to 25-20 at the break.
The two teams traded baskets in the opening three minutes of the third quarter, but the last seven minutes of the frame was all Minnesota Morris. The Cougars closed out the period by scoring 18 of the last 21 points, taking a commanding 47-27 lead into the fourth. The lead never dipped below 16 points after that, with UMN Morris easily holding on down the stretch and nabbing the road win.
Brownotter and Kwateh shared team-high scoring honors with 13 apiece on the night. Eagle Chasing added 11 points, with Anderson tacking on eight. Ella Van Kempen hauled down 12 rebounds, while Anderson added five steals as part of an 18-steal effort from the defense on the night.
Minnesota Morris closes out its road swing tomorrow with a 3 p.m. tip-off against the University of Wisconsin-Superior.
