MORRIS, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris women's basketball team defeated Martin Luther College 75-68 in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference play Saturday afternoon in Morris, Minn., on Senior Day.
 
The Cougars improve to 11-12 overall and 8-2 in the UMAC, while the Knights drop to 11-13 overall and 4-7 in conference play.
 
During halftime of the men's game, the four seniors were recognized for the dedication they have put into the program: Reece Wassink, Itzel Salazar, Shelby Mortenson, and Gabby Randt.
 
Claire Stark grabbed an offensive board and put it back for two to score the first points of the game. Martin Luther answered right back with a three-pointer. Grace Perry grabbed an offensive rebound, scored through contact, and completed a three-point play to give the lead back to the Cougars. The Knights then started to build a lead as they went 5-of-5 from behind the arc to pull ahead 19-11 after the first five minutes. Maddy Grove and Anna Myers added to the early scoring for UMM, but the team would not score again for the remainder of the quarter and trailed 23-11.
 
Gianna Klarenbeek started the second quarter with the team's first three-pointer of the game and later added two free throws to cut further into the lead. Stark scored on back-to-back possessions to bring the deficit down to five. Late in the quarter, Brooke Ver Steeg got on the board with a jump shot, and Grove followed suit to pull within three. The Cougars went on a six-point run to close out the half with points from Grove, Perry, and Mortenson to tie the game 36-36 heading into halftime.
 
After two points by MLC to open the third quarter, Stark grabbed another offensive rebound and put it back in. She was fouled and made the ensuing free throw to give the Cougars the lead for the first time since the first quarter. Grove scored the next six points for Minnesota Morris to widen the lead. Wassink scored off a pass from Grove, finding the basket on Senior Day. The Knights cut the lead down to one, but Ver Steeg responded with a triple. A free throw by MLC made it 54-52 at the end of the third quarter.
 
The fourth quarter got underway with another putback for the Cougars, this time from Mortenson. Ver Steeg started a run with another putback, Klarenbeek followed with a layup, and Myers capped the run with a layup to push the advantage to eight. The lead grew to double digits with less than two minutes remaining after Klarenbeek went 2-for-2 at the line. The Cougars held on down the stretch, making their free throws to secure the 75-68 victory.
 
Grove led the Cougars with 19 points. Stark and Klarenbeek also reached double figures with 13 and 11, respectively. After shooting just 25.0 percent in the first quarter, Minnesota Morris finished at 41.8 percent overall and shot 55.6 percent in the second quarter. Grove, Stark, and Perry each recorded a team-high two assists.
 
Defensively, Klarenbeek recorded a double-double with 10 rebounds, while Mortenson also grabbed 10 boards. Perry added nine rebounds. The Cougars out-rebounded the Knights 51-32, including 16 offensive rebounds. Myers led the team with three steals, and Mortenson added two blocks.
 
The Cougars enter their final week of the regular season as they travel to Bethany Lutheran College on Wednesday for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff.