MANKATO, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris women's basketball team fell to Bethany Lutheran College, 72-52, in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference play Thursday night in Mankato, Minn.
 
The Vikings remain undefeated in the conference at 11-0 and improve to 14-10 overall. The Cougars drop to 8-3 in the conference, tied for second, and 11-13 overall.
 
Maddy Grove opened the scoring, with Claire Stark following. The Vikings answered each basket, then went on a 12-point run to take a 16-4 lead. Grove ended the rally with a layup and then added two free throws. The lead shrank to six after Grove scored her eighth point of the game. Bethany Lutheran added two more before the end of the quarter to lead 18-10.
 
The Vikings scored the first four points of the second quarter. Anna Myers got on the board with UMM's first points of the period. BLC went on another run to reclaim a double-digit lead. Shelby Mortenson ended the Cougars' scoring drought with a long two-pointer. Bethany Lutheran extended its lead to 16 before Grove scored her 14th point of the game to make the score 36-22 in favor of BLC.
 
The Cougars started the second half with a quick basket from Grove. The lead continued to grow for BLC as it scored six unanswered points, with Grove breaking up the run. Minnesota Morris responded with points from Mortenson, Myers, and Brooke Ver Steeg to force a BLC timeout. Stark cut the lead to 10 after going 2-for-2 at the free throw line. After a five-point run by BLC, Gianna Klarenbeek got on the board with a pair of free throws. The teams traded points in the final seconds as the Vikings led 56-41 after three quarters.
 
Bethany Lutheran opened the fourth quarter with a three-pointer, but Grove answered with a three for UMM. After a scoreless stretch, BLC pushed the lead to 17 with six minutes remaining. Gabby Randt scored on a jumper assisted by Itzel Salazar. Reece Wassink added a free throw. McKenna McIlonie hit UMM's second three-pointer of the game in the final minutes. The Vikings maintained control for the remainder of the game to secure the 72-52 win.
 
Grove led the Cougars with 22 points. Minnesota Morris shot 33.9 percent from the field, 2-for-9 from three, and 10-for-13 from the free throw line. Eight other Cougars scored in the contest. Grace Perry led the team with three assists.
 
Defensively, Stark grabbed a team-high six rebounds, with Ver Steeg and Mortenson adding five each. UMM totaled seven steals, with Grove recording three, and Stark adding the team's lone block.
 
The final game of the regular season will determine who hosts a home playoff game, as the Cougars travel to the University of Wisconsin-Superior for a 3 p.m. contest.