MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris women's basketball team had its 2021 season come to an end in the UMAC semifinals on Saturday night with a 76-53 loss at North Central University. The Cougars wrap up the season at 6-4 overall.

The first five minutes were tough on the Cougars with a litany of missed shots and turnovers. North Central leapt out to a 13-0 lead before Ella Van Kempen had a steal and coast-to-coast layup for the first Minnesota Morris points of the game. Five more points followed from the Rams to make it 18-2 with six minutes gone. The Cougars briefly got the deficit down to 10 points, but an 8-0 run from NCU followed and a three-pointer from Jadyn Sondrol in the final minute of the quarter made it 26-11.

UMN Morris couldn't get the deficit under 15 for the duration of the second quarter. The final point of the quarter for the Cougars came from a Lexus Eagle Chasing free throw with 1:43 to go in the half, but North Central had the final two baskets heading into the break to take a 44-24 edge.

Some solid play in the third quarter allowed Minnesota Morris to pull as close as 14 after Lexie Winter and Malory Anderson scored back-to-back baskets with six minutes elapsed in the period. Haley Wollschlager had the last field goal of the quarter and the Cougars went to the fourth trailing, 59-43.

A lot was going to have to go right for UMN Morris to get back into it in the fourth quarter and the Cougars could unfortunately not buy a bucket early in the quarter. After an Anderson three-pointer in the first minute, the team wouldn't connect on another field goal for nearly six minutes. By that time, North Central had extended its lead to 24. Grace Olson and Tariq Brownotter had three-pointers in the final stages of the game, but it wasn't nearly enough to bring the Cougars back.

Sondrol led Minnesota Morris in scoring on the night with 14 points. Anderson had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.