ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris women's basketball team rallied from 12 points down at the end of the first quarter to knot the game entering the fourth quarter, but 10 of the team's 28 turnovers came in the final 10 minutes as the University of Northwestern held on for a 60-53 victory. The Cougars fall to 1-8 (0-2 UMAC) with the loss, while the Eagles move to 5-3 (2-0 UMAC).

Northwestern led most of the way, starting with a fast start in the first quarter. A Haley Wollschlager layup cut the Eagle lead to 9-6 with four minutes elapsed, but Northwestern finished the quarter on an 11-2 run, including a Livvy Grosz three-pointer just before the horn to make it 20-8.

The Northwestern lead grew to 14 points early in the second quarter before Minnesota Morris began to rally. Jadyn Sondrol knocked down consecutive threes as part of a 7-0 run to bring the Cougars within six, 26-20. Another 7-0 run later in the quarter was capped by a jumper from Jay Kwateh to make it 29-27 before UNW scored the final three points of the half to take a 32-27 lead at the intermission.

Minnesota Morris trailed, 39-31, with three minutes gone in the third quarter before an 11-0 run finished off by a pair of triples from Tariq Brownotter gave the Cougars their first lead of the day. A three-point play from Ella Van Kempen extended the Cougar lead to four, 45-41, before Northwestern came back to tie the game heading into the final quarter.

The Cougars had been battling turnover issues all game long, but it took a turn for the worse in the final 10 minutes. Minnesota Morris committed 10 turnovers in the fourth quarter and went more than seven minutes without scoring after Malory Anderson had knotted the score at 47-47. By the time Kwateh broke the drought, the Cougars trailed the Eagles, 55-49, with just over two minutes to play. UMN Morris got as close as four points in the final minute before Northwestern clinched the game at the line.

Sondrol led all scorers in the game with 16 points. Wollschlager was the next leading scorer for the Cougars with seven. Shelby Mortenson hauled in eight rebounds on the day.

Minnesota Morris returns to non-conference play with a pair of games at the University of California, Santa Cruz on Dec. 21 and 22. First up is a neutral-site game with the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater on Dec. 21, starting at 4 p.m. (CDT).