ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris women's basketball team defeated the University of Northwestern 82-65 Saturday afternoon in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference action in St. Paul, Minn. Shelby Mortenson and Grace Perry each recorded a double-double in the victory.
 
Minnesota Morris improves to 5–11 overall and 2–1 in the UMAC, while the Eagles drop to 5–11 and 0–4 in conference play.
 
Minnesota Morris started the game on a seven-point run, with Grace Perry, Claire Stark, Maddy Grove, and Shelby Mortenson scoring early for UMM. Minnesota Morris' first nine of 11 points came from the free-throw line. With under three minutes left in the quarter, the Eagles cut the lead to two before tying the game at 11–11 with 1:24 remaining. The Cougars closed out the quarter on a five-point rally, with points from Mortenson, Perry, and Grove.
 
The rally continued into the second quarter as Gianna Klarenbeek knocked down the team's first three-pointer, followed by a Stark pull-up jumper. Grove sparked a seven-point run by scoring on back-to-back possessions, with Perry capping it off with a triple. The Eagles chipped away at the lead, but UMM consistently had an answer. A six-point Cougar run closed the half, highlighted by Anna Myers scoring her first points on the final basket to make the score 40–27.
 
The Eagles came out of halftime strong, scoring the first six points of the third quarter. Perry ended the run with her second three-pointer of the game. Grove extended the lead back to 13 after going 2-for-2 from the free-throw line. Reece Wassink got on the board with under five minutes remaining in the quarter to give the Cougars a 15-point advantage. The teams traded baskets for the remainder of the period, with Grove making the final shot to give UMM a 59–45 lead.
 
An early UMM run in the fourth quarter kept the Eagles out of striking distance, with Mortenson and Grove scoring. Grove followed up her free throws with a three-pointer to reach 21 points in the game. The Cougars held the Eagles at bay for the remainder of the contest. In the final minutes, Gabby Randt and Kylee Dingwall added points to help secure the 82–65 victory.
 
Grove led all scorers with 21 points, marking her seventh game of the season with 20 or more points. Mortenson followed with 17 points. Also reaching double figures were Stark and Perry with 12 and 13 points, respectively. Klarenbeek led the team with four assists.
 
Defensively, Mortenson recorded a career-high 15 rebounds for her third double-double of the season, while Perry totaled 13 rebounds for her second double-double of the campaign. UMM forced 14 steals, with Grove and Klarenbeek tallying four each. Mortenson also accounted for two of the team's three blocks.
 
Minnesota Morris continues road action on Wednesday as it travels to Crown College for a 5:30 p.m. start.