MORRIS, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris women's basketball team begins Upper Midwest Athletic Conference action on Wednesday as they travel to New Ulm, Minn., for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff against Martin Luther College.
 
All conference games can be found on the UMAC Sports Network app or by clicking here. To follow live stats click here.
 
The Cougars returned from winter break by competing at the BSN Winter Classic in Oshkosh, Wis. Minnesota Morris faced tough competition against No. 3 University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh and No. 25/(RV) Ripon College. UMM battled but was unable to come away with a victory. Maddy Grove led the team with 30 points across the two games, earning All-Classic Team honors and UMAC Athlete of the Week recognition.
 
Grove leads the Cougars with 245 total points (18.8 per game), currently ranking second in the conference. The junior guard is shooting 47.4 percent from the floor, 30.4 percent from three-point range, and 82.9 percent from the free-throw line. Shelby Mortenson and Anna Myers follow with 110 and 98 points, respectively. Gianna Klarenbeek ranks third in the conference with a team-high 41 assists.
 
Mortenson paces the team with 69 rebounds, with Klarenbeek close behind at 60. Grove also ranks among the top three in the conference in steals with 35 on the season, including a new career-high seven in a game this year. Claire Stark ranks third in the UMAC with nine blocked shots.
 
Martin Luther enters conference play with a 7-6 overall record. The Knights have played one game since the winter break, falling 71-60 to Viterbo University. Dan Gawrisch is in his 12th season as the head coach of MLC. Mya Morris leads the Knights—and the conference—with 255 points (19.6 per game). Defensively, Wilhelmina Wenz leads the UMAC with 112 rebounds.
 
Last season, the Cougars and Knights split the series 1-1, with Minnesota Morris winning the most recent matchup 69-60. The Cougars pulled away in the final quarter, scoring 27 points while holding MLC to just 10 in the final 10 minutes. Grove finished with a game-high 29 points.