SUPERIOR, Wis. – The University of Minnesota Morris women's basketball team earned a home playoff game as it rallied from a 15-point deficit to defeat the University of Wisconsin-Superior 74-65 in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference play Saturday afternoon in Superior, Wis.
 
The Cougars finish second in the UMAC with a 9-3 conference record and are 12-13 overall. The Yellowjackets fall to 10-15 overall and third in the UMAC at 7-5.
 
"I'm so proud of our team," said head coach Tim Grove. "We played with a sense of urgency that second half and made some great plays on both ends of the floor. We're excited for the opportunity to host a playoff game next week."

Shelby Mortenson scored the opening basket after Claire Stark found her alone at the rim. Grace Perry extended the lead to three with a banked three-pointer. Mortenson added another basket, but each time UWS answered to keep things even. The Yellowjackets took their first lead five minutes in with a six-point run. Mortenson and Maddy Grove scored to make it a one-possession game. Brooke Ver Steeg ended another UWS run with a long two. Perry swung the lead back to UMM in the final minute with her second triple of the quarter. The Yellowjackets scored once more to end the first quarter ahead 19-18.
 
The Yellowjackets opened the second quarter on a 5-0 run to grow the advantage. Grove scored a layup to end the rally and put UMM on the board in the quarter. Gianna Klarenbeek followed with a deep three-pointer to pull the Cougars within three. UW-Superior answered with four straight points before Anna Myers knocked down an 18-footer. With under three minutes left in the half, the Yellowjackets built their largest lead at 10. UWS capped the half with a four-point play to take a 45-30 lead into the break.
 
Grove started the second-half scoring with a layup, and Stark cut the lead to 12 with a long two. Points from Mortenson brought the Cougars within single digits. Myers went 2-for-3 at the line to extend the UMM run to 10-1. Grove finished through contact to make the score 48-44. After a UW-Superior three-pointer, Ver Steeg made one free throw. As time expired in the third, the Yellowjackets added two more to lead 55-47.
 
UWS pushed the lead to 10 early in the fourth, but Klarenbeek had an answer on the other end. She scored the first nine points of the quarter for UMM to pull the Cougars within three. Grove matched a UWS basket to keep UMM within striking distance. A deep three from Klarenbeek tied the game with less than five minutes remaining. Grove followed with a basket to give the Cougars their first lead since the first quarter. Myers gave UMM a two-possession lead after converting at the line. The Yellowjackets began to foul in the final minute, and Klarenbeek pushed the lead to six with 47 seconds remaining. Grove sealed the 74-65 victory with free throws down the stretch.
 
Grove and Klarenbeek led the Cougars with 19 points apiece. Mortenson also reached double figures with 10 points. UMM shot 44.4 percent from the field and shot above 50 percent in three quarters. Klarenbeek and Stark each dished out a team-high four assists.
 
Defensively, Grove recorded a game-high eight rebounds, followed by Myers with five. Grove also led the team with four steals. UMM blocked two shots, one each from Grove and Mortenson.
 
The Cougars will host UW-Superior on Wednesday in the first round of the UMAC Playoffs.