Yellowjackets report: UWS women's basketball starts UMAC play 2-0

Dec. 10—SUPERIOR — A 24-point game from Elise Besonen and 11 rebounds by both Charlotte Ferstl and Emily Dehler helped Wisconsin-Superior complete a 59-41 win over Minnesota Morris and a 2-0 weekend to open Upper Midwest Athletic Conference play on Saturday, Dec. 9 at Mertz Mortorelli Gym.

After falling behind briefly to start, UWS scored 29 of the next 34 points to go ahead 29-10 four minutes into the second quarter.

UWS finished the half ahead 37-19 and maintained a lead of at least 12 points the rest of the way, holding the Cougars to 7-for-33 shooting (21 percent) in the second half. The Yellowjackets also did not allow a UMM 3-pointer.

Ferstl had 14 points to go with her 11 boards for UWS, which was 22-for-56 from the floor.

UWS (5-4, 2-0 UMAC) hosts Wisconsin-Eau Claire in a nonconference game on Wednesday.

Two bids for Wisconsin-Superior to win the game in the closing seconds on Saturday, Dec. 9 against Minnesota Morris went unanswered as the Cougars came away 65-63 winners in a UMAC men's basketball game at Mertz Mortorelli Gym.

The Yellowjackets found themselves down nine with 6:30 to play but cut it to three twice in the last 40 seconds of play. J'Vaun Walker's bucket with 14 seconds left made it a one-point game and, after Morris missed a free throw on the other end, Walker had a look for a go-ahead shot with three seconds left and missed. The Cougars collected a defensive rebound but split two free-throw attempts, giving UWS and Walker one more shot but that, too, missed as time expired.

Josef Fahrenholtz scored 22 for UWS but other than his 10-of-16 from the floor, the rest of the Yellowjackets were 16-for-43 (37 percent).

Kenny Placide led UMM with 18 points.

The Yellowjackets (6-3, 0-2 UMAC) will try and break their skid in a nonconference game on Wednesday vs. Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

After a rough loss in Northfield, Minnesota on Friday night, Dec. 8, Wisconsin-Superior found itself in a comfortable position on Saturday, Dec. 9, then found that position obliterated by St. Olaf's Julia Larson in a nonconference women's hockey game at Wessman Arena.

Larson overturned UWS's 3-1 lead after two periods with a third-period natural hat trick that won the game 4-3.

Cora Coz, Emma Booth and Kaylin Garner all scored unassisted goals that gave the Yellowjackets an advantage on a team that beat them 5-0 the night before, but as it was on Friday, penalties were a problem.

St. Olaf was already 1-for-5 with the advantage when Larson scored at 2:28 of the third period. That was the first of four UWS minors during gameplay.

Larson tied the game at even strength with 6:47 remaining, followed 21 seconds later by a boarding major to the Yellowjackets. It took a while, but Larson had her game-winner and hat trick with three minutes to play.

Solvei Berg-Messerole had assists on two of Larson's goals for the Oles, who finished 3-for-10 in the game and 6-for-19 with the advantage in the series.

Rose Beeman made 34 saves for UWS (4-5-1), which will play at St. Scholastica on Tuesday.

Wisconsin-Superior kept the Northland men's hockey offense to a trickle on Saturday, Dec. 9, holding the Lumberjacks to 21 shots and one goal in a 3-1 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory on Saturday night at Wessman Arena.

UWS has allowed one or fewer goals in four of its last six games, including both meetings with Northland in Ashland two weekends ago. That continued again on Saturday, as the Lumberjacks didn't get on the board until Kenny Styles' goal with 12:36 to play.

By that point, Jordan Guiney and Tyler Ryder had already scored for UWS in the second period and C.J. Walker closed it out with a late empty netter, his second point of the game.

Kobe Grant made 20 saves for UWS (7-6-0, 5-2-0 WIAC). The Yellowjackets are off until their annual Superior Showdown holiday tournament, which begins for them on Dec. 29 vs. Dubuque.