MORRIS, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris women's basketball team completed a perfect home stand on Saturday afternoon with a 71-39 defensive lockdown of Crown College. The win is now the seventh for the Cougars overall and improves the team to 11-8 (7-1 UMAC) on the year.
Maddy Grove flirted with outscoring the Polars all by herself and started her 29-point outing with a layup on the opening possession of the game. Grove then broke the lone tie of the game to put the Cougars ahead, 7-5, and a
Jadyn Sondrol three-pointer started a 7-0 run that pushed the Minnesota Morris lead to 16-6. A
Claire Stark finish at the buzzer made it 18-11 after one.
The second quarter was when the Cougars took full control of the contest. After Crown scored to pull within five, Minnesota Morris held the visitors scoreless for eight full minutes. During that time, the Cougars enjoyed a 13-0 advantage and took a 31-13 lead on the Polars. Grove wrapped up a 13-point first half with a jumper in the final 30 seconds to give UMN Morris a 35-19 halftime lead.
Outside of a 6-0 Crown run that briefly brought the Polars back within 16 midway through the third quarter, Minnesota Morris had little trouble in the second half.
Malory Anderson took a
Jay Kwateh pass for a nice finish at the rim and Grove added a late triple as the Cougars extended out to a 51-27 lead through three.
The defense helped to close out the win in the fourth quarter, forcing three turnovers and three missed shots in a three-minute stretch as the lead grew to 30 points, 59-29. The Cougar advantage rarely fell lower than that the rest of the way.
Grove finished 12-of-23 from the floor and added seven rebounds and a pair of assists and steals on the day. Sondrol and
Jay Kwateh also both reached double-figures with 12 each. Anderson had a game-high 11 rebounds and four assists, while
Shelby Mortenson patrolled the paint with six blocked shots.
Minnesota Morris is back in action on Friday, Feb. 2, taking on Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minn. starting at 5:30 p.m.
