MORRIS, Minn. - With both teams still fighting for a ticket to the conference tournament, the University of Minnesota Morris and Bethany Lutheran College felt the pressure heading into this matchup. It was the Cougars who came out on top of this vital win, outscoring their opponents 62-59. 

Maddy Grove took command of the game early, scoring 14 of the Cougars' 24 points in the first quarter from all over the court. Minnesota Morris led by a wide 10-point margin heading into the second quarter, and carried that momentum with them through the quarter. Shelby Mortenson started to heat up in the second quarter, dropping six points to maintain a double-digit lead for Minnesota Morris. The Cougars were able to expand their lead to 38-23 heading into halftime.

Bethany Lutheran came out of halftime fired up and looking to take back control of the game. The Vikings turned things up on both ends of the court in the third, holding the Cougars to just 13 points while posting 19 of their own to close the scoring gap. Grove was the driving force behind Minnesota Morris in the third quarter as she dropped 10 points to keep the home team in the lead. Bethany Lutheran clawed back into the game in the fourth with a 9 point run late in the quarter. Savanna Pelzer stepped up to the line and went 3-4 on her free throws, giving the Cougars a five point gap with 13 seconds to go. Minnesota Morris led the way at the final buzzer with a 62-59 lead over the Vikings.

Grove totaled up 28 points on the night to lead Minnesota Morris in scoring. Mortenson dropped a vital double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds on the night for the Cougars.

The Cougars continue the battle for a spot in the conference tournament Feb. 22 with a home matchup against the University of Wisconsin-Superior. The game is set for a 4:45pm tip-off.