MORRIS, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris women's basketball team got off to about as good a start as they could have hoped for on Friday night, bursting out of the gates for an 8-0 lead on UMAC leaders University of Northwestern. The game shifted dramatically from there however, with the Eagles able to remain undefeated in UMAC play following a 71-48 win. The loss snaps a six-game winning streak for the Cougars as they fall to 7-12 (5-4 UMAC).

Following a win on the opening tap from Ella Van Kempen, Minnesota Morris went in front as Jay Kwateh converted a layup before adding a short jumper a minute later for a 4-0 lead. Jadyn Sondrol knocked down a pair at the line after that, and Malory Anderson made it 8-0 moments after a huge swat on a corner three attempt from Northwestern. After that tremendous start for the Cougars, the Eagles found their groove and scored on four straight possessions to take a 10-8 advantage. As the UMN Morris offense sputtered, Northwestern was able to continue to build its margin until it had a 21-8 lead late in the quarter. Haley Wollschlager finally scored to break the drought with eight ticks left on the clock, but the Eagles worked the ball up the court quickly and scored at the horn to make it 23-10 after 10 minutes.

Minnesota Morris had some success from long range in the opening minutes of the second quarter, with Lexus Redthunder, Sondrol, and Anderson all cashing in. That left the score at 32-21 halfway through the quarter and the defenses locked in from there. Northwestern continued to hold an edge on the Cougars at the break, 37-23.

A four-minute scoring drought in the middle of the third quarter from the Cougars allowed Northwestern to grow its lead to 52-27 before Kwateh finally scored. Following that bucket, Minnesota Morris was once again held scoreless for the final three minutes of the frame and the Eagles went up, 56-29, entering the fourth.

Though baskets from Shelby Mortenson and Anderson allowed Minnesota Morris to open the quarter well and shrink the deficit, Northwestern was never really in danger. The closest the Cougars would get in the closing minutes of the contest was 59-41 on a feed from Sondrol to Kwateh.

Kwateh finished the night with a team-high 11 points, while Anderson reached double-figures with 10. Sondrol added nine points and led the Cougars with four assists.

Minnesota Morris will look to regroup and continue to challenge for one of the top spots in the UMAC when North Central University pays a visit tomorrow at 4:45 p.m.