MORRIS, Minn. - Minnesota Morris took a slim halftime lead and turned it into a 14-point, 77-63, win Saturday over North Central in UMAC women's basketball action at Jim Gremmels Court.

The first half was a back and forth affair with neither team leading by more than five points. North Central held a 21-20 edge after the first quarter. The Cougars outscored the Rams, 12-8, in the second quarter and took a 32-29 lead into the halftime locker room.

UMM began to widen their lead early in the third quarter. Zoe Loucks and Bailey Miller had back-to-back lay-ins to give their biggest lead at 40-32. Two minutes later, the Cougars built their lead to double digits for the first time following a Kendra Raths 3-point play and a Mauren Thiesen layup to give the Cougars a 45-34 lead halfway through the third quarter. The Rams cut the lead to 5, but the Cougars closed out the quarter with eight straight points aided by a pair of 3s from Thiesen that gave UMM a 55-42 edge going into the final quarter.

The Cougars maintained a double-digit lead for most of the final quarter.

Raths led the Cougars with 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Thiesen and Elli Stevenson each scored 15 and Abby Van Kempen had a double-double with 13 points and 10 boards.

Minnesota Morris (3-10, 3-2 in UMAC) next plays Wednesday at Martin Luther.