MORRIS, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris women's basketball team enters the second half of Upper Midwest Athletic Conference play as it hosts Crown College on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., followed by the University of Northwestern on Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
All conference games can be found on the UMAC Sports Network app or by clicking here. The live stats can be found here.
 
The Cougars fell in their lone game last week, dropping a 71–63 decision to Bethany Lutheran College. Minnesota Morris holds a 4–2 conference record and is currently third in the UMAC. Maddy Grove led the scoring for UMM with a game-high 24 points, while Gianna Klarenbeek also reached double figures with 15. Shelby Mortenson anchored the defense with eight rebounds and two blocks.
 
The Cougars average 67.4 points per game, the most in the UMAC, led by Grove's 360 points, which ranks first in the conference. Mortenson follows with 176 points, and Klarenbeek has totaled 163. Also scoring in triple digits are Claire Stark (131), Anna Myers (125), and Grace Perry (116). Klarenbeek leads the conference with 58 assists.
 
Minnesota Morris also tops the conference in rebounding at 38.3 per game. Mortenson ranks third in the UMAC with 125 total rebounds, including 53 on the offensive glass. Perry follows with 95 rebounds, and Klarenbeek rounds out the top three with 88. The Cougars have blocked a conference-high 70 shots, with Mortenson accounting for 28. Grove paces the team in steals with 53.
 
Crown College enters the week with a 3–17 overall record and sits seventh in the UMAC at 0–7. The Polars extended their losing streak to 10 after falling to the University of Wisconsin–Superior, 74–47, and Bethany Lutheran, 60–38. David Pederson is in his second season as head coach of the Polars. Brayli Reimer leads Crown offensively with 215 points, followed by Sydney Cotton with 173.
 
In the first meeting between the teams, the Cougars earned a 73–39 victory. In the win, UMM had 10 different student-athletes score, with Grove and Klarenbeek leading the way with 16 points each. Minnesota Morris jumped out to an early 22–13 lead after the first quarter and never looked back.
 
Northwestern owns a 6–13 overall record and is sixth in the UMAC at 1–6. Last week, the Eagles played one game, falling 80–71 to Martin Luther College. Head coach Aaron Kahl is in his 16th season at UNW. The Eagles are led by Ella Frazier with 202 points and Carli Elrod with 106 rebounds.
 
In the first matchup between UMM and UNW, the Cougars came away with an 82–65 victory. Grove led all scorers with 21 points, while Mortenson and Perry each recorded a double-double. Ten Cougars scored in the game, with four finishing in double figures.