MORRIS, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris women's basketball team came away with an 81–69 victory over the University of Northwestern on Saturday afternoon in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference action in Morris, Minn.
 
The Cougars move to 9–12 overall and 6–2 in the UMAC, while the Eagles fall to 6–15 overall and 1–8 in conference play.
 
The Eagles opened the game with a three-pointer to take the early lead, but Grace Perry answered on the other end, followed by a Maddy Grove layup to give the Cougars the advantage. The teams traded baskets, resulting in four early ties, with Grove, Perry, and Shelby Mortenson all scoring for UMM. Gianna Klarenbeek recorded assists on the Cougars' first six made baskets. Layups by Perry and Mortenson gave the lead back to UMM, which the Cougars held for the remainder of the game. Late in the quarter, Itzel Salazar scored her first points in the paint to push the lead to five. UNW added a free throw before the end of the quarter, and UMM led 17–13 after one.
 
Grove opened the scoring in the second quarter with a quick layup, while Mortenson added a block on the defensive end. A span of five made shots in a row allowed the Cougars to maintain a three-point advantage. Brooke Ver Steeg went on a personal four-point run with a pair of free throws and a jumper. Perry then sparked a 14-point Cougar run with a three-pointer. Klarenbeek followed with a triple for her first points of the game, and Grove added the next six points. Perry capped the run with a layup off a steal. Perry closed the half with her third three-pointer of the game, sending Minnesota Morris into halftime with a 48–26 lead.
 
The Eagles opened the third quarter with five straight points, but the Cougars responded with a basket in the paint by Claire Stark and another three-pointer from Perry. UNW then went on a 10-point run, which Grove stopped with a jumper, followed by a basket from Ver Steeg. Mortenson and Ver Steeg helped restore the Cougars' large lead. Grove ended the quarter with a layup, putting Minnesota Morris ahead 65–49.
 
Perry stayed hot from behind the arc with another three to open the fourth quarter. Grove later found Reece Wassink in the paint for her first points of the contest. Midway through the quarter, the Eagles made another push, but Perry ended the rally with her sixth three-pointer of the game. The final points for both teams came at the free-throw line, as the Cougars secured the 81–69 victory.
 
Perry and Grove led the Cougars with 24 points each. Perry recorded a career-high 24 points, shooting 9-for-11 from the field and 6-for-7 from three-point range, the sixth-best three-point shooting percentage in UMM program history. Mortenson also reached double figures with 10 points, while Klarenbeek tallied a game-high nine assists.
 
Defensively, Perry and Klarenbeek each grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. The Cougars outrebounded the Eagles 40–38, including eight offensive rebounds. Minnesota Morris recorded five steals from five different players and blocked six shots, with Mortenson and Stark accounting for two each.
 
Minnesota Morris hits the road on Wednesday, traveling to North Central University for a 5:30 p.m. game.