Morris, Minn. – 2019 has treated the University of Minnesota Morris women's basketball team well,  sporting a perfect 4-0 record.

The University of Northwestern has also been enjoying a successful start to 2019, boasting just one loss to UMAC power UW-Superior.

Needless to say that Wednesday night's UMAC contest between the two schools could potentially hold implications for the Cougars' run at the conference title.

It's also needless to say that the Cougars were not looking forward to seeing that win streak end early.

Seeing a nail biter for much of the first half, the Cougars were able to pull away in the second to a 68-52 win over the Eagles to extend their UMAC winning streak to six and move to 7-1 in conference play.

The Cougars started the contest with a three from senior Kendra Raths to take the early lead until the Eagles would connect on long range for the game's only tie just two minutes into the contest. Minnesota Morris was able to fire their way to a 14-9 lead late in the first quarter thanks to some solid sharpshooting on the perimeter. The accuracy from long range proved to be a key factor for the Cougars tonight, connecting on 11 of their 23 attempts in the game (47.8 percent). 

Holding a three-point lead into the second quarter, Raths started to become the unstoppable force that has helped carried the Cougars throughout the last six wins, leading all scorers with 10 points in the first half. Her back-to-back layups midway through the second quarter gave the Cougars a 23-19 lead with just over four minutes left. In 28 minutes of action, the senior forward from Sartell, Minn. scored 16 points while also registering three steals and five total rebounds. Minnesota Morris would take a nine-point lead into the locker room at half thanks to a three pointer at the end of the first half by Lexie Winter. 

A sight that has been familiar to Cougars fans has been the second half performances from Abby Van Kempen. 

After scoring just five points in the first half, the junior forward exploded for a game-high 18 points and six rebounds. Her three-pointer from the corner provided the Cougars with an 11-point lead just three minutes into the second half. While her presence was greatly felt as a scorer, but made the junior dangerous in the second half was her ability to give the Cougars second half scoring opportunities. Grabbing a game-high four offensive rebounds, the Cougars were able to score seven points off initial shot attempts. 

Much like the first half, the Cougars continued to connect from longe range in the second half with Zoe Loucks' attempts giving Minnesota Morris a commanding 52-35 heading into the fourth quarter. For much of the fourth quarter, Minnesota Morris held a lead that was 15 points or greater. 

The Cougars (10-6, UMAC 7-1) will take lay their six-game conference winning streak on the line Saturday as they travel to Wisconsin in a rematch against UW-Superior in the UMAC "Game of the Week." The Yellow jackets topped the Cougars on Jim Gremmels court 59-52 on Dec. 8. Tip-off is set for 3 P.M.