MORRIS, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris women's basketball team defeated a rallying Crown College squad 71-70 in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference play Wednesday night in Morris, Minn.
 
The Cougars improve to 8–12 overall and 5–2 in the UMAC, while the Polars fall to 3–18 overall and 0–8 in conference play.
 
The game's first points came at the free-throw line, as Claire Stark knocked down a pair. The Polars answered with a three-pointer to take the early lead, then added four more points. Minnesota Morris ended the run with a jumper from Maddy Grove. Grace Perry pulled the Cougars within one with a basket inside the arc, and Shelby Mortenson matched Crown's scoring with her first points of the game. Brooke Ver Steeg and Gabby Randt provided a spark off the bench, adding points for UMM. Stark scored back-to-back baskets to tie the game at 16-16 at the end of the first quarter.
 
Crown scored the first basket of the second quarter, but Perry answered with a three-pointer to give the Cougars the lead. On the following possession, she connected from deep again to push the advantage to four. Gianna Klarenbeek knocked down the team's third three in as many attempts, and Ver Steeg joined the long-range scoring to extend the lead to five. Each time the Cougars scored, the Polars responded to stay close. Taylor Johnson scored her first points of 2026, followed by a basket from Grove to give Minnesota Morris its largest lead at nine. Perry added her third three-pointer of the quarter in the final minute, and Klarenbeek drove to the hoop in the closing seconds to send the Cougars into halftime with a 43-32 lead.
 
Stark opened the second half the same way she started the game, making two free throws. Grove followed with a basket to give UMM a 15-point advantage. Crown responded with a nine-point run to cut the lead to single digits, but Grove ended the rally with a jumper. A Polars three-pointer brought them within two with just over five minutes remaining in the quarter. Anna Myers created some separation with a three-pointer, and Itzel Salazar scored her first points of the game to make it 54-50. Johnson grabbed an offensive rebound and converted the putback in the final minute, giving the Cougars a 56-52 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
 
Crown opened the fourth quarter with a three-pointer to cut the lead to one, but Grove answered with a long two. With eight minutes remaining, the Polars had a chance to take the lead at the free-throw line but went 0-for-2, allowing UMM to maintain the advantage. Klarenbeek added a driving layup to push the lead back to three. Crown knocked down a three-pointer with 4:30 left to regain the lead. After the Polars went up by four, Grove made it a one-possession game and then tied it at the free-throw line. The teams traded baskets, with Stark scoring for the Cougars, before Klarenbeek put UMM back in front with under two minutes remaining.
 
In the final 30 seconds, Perry drew a foul and went 2-for-2 at the line to make it a four-point game. Out of the timeout, Crown hit a three-pointer to pull within one. Minnesota Morris was unable to score on the ensuing possession, but Ver Steeg came away with a key steal and added a free throw to put the Cougars up two with 7.9 seconds left. With 0.9 seconds remaining, Crown drew a foul and went to the line down two, making the first free throw but missing the second as the Cougars held on for the 71-70 victory.
 
All 10 Cougars who entered the game scored for Minnesota Morris. Grove led the team with 16 points, while Perry and Klarenbeek added 15 and 11, respectively. As a team, the Cougars shot 43.1 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from three-point range, and 68.2 percent from the free-throw line. Klarenbeek also dished out a team-high five assists.
 
Defensively, Grove, Perry, Ver Steeg, and Randt shared the team lead with five rebounds apiece, as UMM outrebounded Crown 38-26. The Cougars blocked five shots, with Mortenson recording three and Grove and Myers adding one each. Grove also led the team with two steals.
 
Minnesota Morris returns to action on Saturday, hosting the University of Northwestern at 1 p.m.