ST. PAUL, Minn.---The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) women's basketball season is just one weekend away from being half over and there are two undefeated squads ready to face off and pull ahead in the race for the conference crown.
 
The University of Wisconsin-Superior took the UMAC championship without a loss to a conference foe, but that could all change Friday as they are set to host conference undefeated University of Minnesota Morris in the "UMAC Game of the Week".
 
Both teams boast perfect 6-0 records with just two conference contests left in the first round of games for 2016-17. The two are at the top of the league in nearly every statistical category and have lost just four non-conference games each to top teams from the region – making Friday's contest a must-win for both the Yellowjackets and the Cougars if either wants to claim victory.   
 
Prior to the arrival of the Yellowjackets in the league, the Cougars had won at least a share of the conference women's basketball regular season championship in each of the previous six seasons. Last year, as the newbie, the Yellowjackets ran the table going 16-0 and won the conference tournament to make their second-consecutive NCAA appearance.  
 
The Cougars had a slight fall from their reign atop the league in 2015-16 finishing fourth with a record of 9-7 in league play and a quarterfinal playoff loss in the waning seconds against Martin Luther College.  In both matchups between the featured teams, the Yellowjackets emerged victorious over the Cougars winning the opener at Morris 77-64 before pulling off a 20-point margin of victory at home in February.
 
Last season, the Yellowjackets dominated the statistical categories leading the league in scoring (75.3 points per game), while Minnesota Morris was just fourth with 63.8 ppg. Wisconsin-Superior was first in field goal percentage (44.8) and Minnesota Morris was a respectable third (38.8). The Cougars' calling card offensively was a league-dominating 33.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc. Where the Yellowjackets really pulled away from the pack was on the glass averaging 44.9 rebounds per game and a 14.9 rebounding margin – an area the Cougars were less successful giving up more rebounds than those they pulled in.
 
Fortunately for both squads, a good amount of experience returns despite some significant losses from a year ago on each roster. The Yellowjackets return just over 58 percent of their scoring from a year ago, but 30 percent of that comes from reigning UMAC Player of the Year Hailey Kontny who averaged 11.9 ppg in conference play. Three key role players in Allie Nelson, Hadley Smalkoski and Allyssa Lindberg were lost to graduation, but Justine Larson, Hannah Norlin and Bailee Bartunek have been contributors already this season.
 
The Cougars were fortunate to return 66 percent of it's scoring from last season with four of it's top players making an immediate impact on the team's early success this season. All-UMAC picks Elli Stevenson and Tori Holt return to the lineup for the Cougars, as do Mauren Thiesen and Kendra Raths who have been the top scorers thus far in 2015-16. The biggest loss has been that of Maja Coomes who led the league in 3-point percentage last season.
 
Heading in to the season, the UMAC coaches expected the Yellowjackets to again take the title with 63 points and seven first place votes in the UMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Cougars were picked to finish on par from a year ago in fourth place with 46 points – just five off from Bethany Lutheran College in third place.
 

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The Match Up
Should both teams continue on their current trajectory in conference games, Friday's game could be a deciding factor in tie-breakers for the league title and give the victor a slight lead and sole possession of first place. Both teams will still have games Saturday, but one team could remain undefeated in UMAC play when all is said and done Saturday evening.  
 
Wisconsin-Superior has had a tough non-conference slate losing three games to MIAC team's by a collective seven points. However, the Yellowjackets have added impressive wins over Concordia College and the University of Wisconsin-Stout. The opened UMAC play with a seven-point win over runner-up preseason favorite Northwestern before cruising to wins in their remaining league games including a 78-61 win over Bethany Lutheran.   
 
The Cougars enter Friday's game on a hot nine-game winning streak after losing it's first four games to non-conference foes to open the season. Those losses include two to some of the top teams in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). Since then, the Cougars have been nearly unstoppable. Their UMAC opener saw just a seven-point decision over Northland College. Following that win, they have won by double-digits including an impressive 75-49 win against the University of Northwestern Saturday.   
 
When it comes to scoring and defense, the Yellowjackets and Cougars have dominated in conference play. Wisconsin-Superior is first in scoring (76.7 ppg) and second in points allowed (53.5 ppg), while Minnesota Morris is second averaging 73.2 ppg but leads scoring defense (53.3 ppg). Both average over 41 percent shooting from the field and the Cougars have held UMAC teams under 30 percent shooting – a league best. The Cougars again lead in 3-point percentage (39.1), and the Yellowjackets again have dominated on the glass with a 16.8 rebounding margin and 18.2 offensive boards per game.   
 

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Need to Know – Wisconsin-Superior
- The Yellowjackets out-scored opponents by an average of 15.6 points per game and out-rebounded teams by a margin of 11.7 per contest last season.
- Wisconsin-Superior yielded just 29.9 rebounds per game to opponents in conference play and allowed the fewest number of steals and blocks per game.
- The Yellowjackets also ranked first in points allowed (54.9 ppg).  
 
Need to Know – Minnesota Morris
- The Cougars have reached the UMAC Postseason Tournament 11 straight seasons.
- Minnesota Morris was second in the UMAC for field goal percentage defense (36.6) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (28.6).
- The Cougars were second in blocking last season (4.1 per game).
 

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Who to Watch – Wisconsin-Superior
Kontny and  Norlin have been a double-threat for the Yellowjackets with both players averaging 13.8 ppg in UMAC play – tied for seventh most – and recording multiple 20-point scoring performances. Additionally, Norlin leads the league in shooting from the field (52.2) while Kontny is third (48.3). Norlin also averages the fourth most rebounds per game (8.8) while Bartunek has 8.5 per game which is fifth.  First-year Eva Reinertsen has stepped up as a threat scoring 9.7 ppg and has led the team in three separate games. Amelia Leger has been a key playmaker with 4.0 assists per game and a 3.0 assist/turnover ratio.
 
Who to Watch – Minnesota Morris
Like the Yellowjackets, the Cougars have had a balance of scoring with five different players leading the team in a single game at least once. Thiesen leads the team in UMAC scoring tied for seventh with 13.8 ppg. She also ranks second in 3-point shooting (37.2 percent) and averages 2.8 assists per game. Stevenson is averaging 13.2 ppg and Raths has 13.0 ppg, ranking them 10th and 11th, respectively. Raths leads the league in blocks per game (2.8) and Stevenson is third in assists (4.0). First-year Abby VanKempen averages a double-double in league games with 12.8 rpg – a UMAC best – and 10.3 ppg.
 

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The Basics
The conference matchup between Minnesota Morris and Wisconsin-Superior is set for this Friday, Jan. 13 with tip off scheduled for 5:30 p.m. The contest will take place on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Superior in Superior, Wisconsin.
 

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The "Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Game of the Week" is a feature that takes place each week throughout the conference portion of the season with one contest being selected and highlighted as the "UMAC Game of the Week".