The UW-Superior women's basketball team fully realized the challenge awaiting them as they hosted #15 UW-Whitewater Saturday afternoon at Mertz Mortorelli Gymnasium.
Despite facing such challenging competition, the Yellowjackets managed to hang tough, cutting a 26-point lead to just 10 with over nine minutes remaining in the second half.
The Warhawks would manage to hold on down the stretch however, making several key plays and getting 19 points from Emily Bestor to claim an 87-72 victory.
UW-Whitewater (6-2 overall, 3-1 WIAC) got off to a fast start in the opening minutes of the first half, taking leads of 7-2 and 9-4 behind baskets from Katie Burton, Melissa Olsen, Jamie Swanson and a three-pointer from Mary Merg in the opening 2:49 of action.
The Yellowjackets (3-5, 0-3) managed to fight back to even matters 9-9 with 16:31 left in the first half behind a 7-0 run that featured two free-throws from senior Kelsey Thingvold (Crystal, Minn.), a three-pointer from junior Hailey Hart (Osseo, Wis.) and a driving layup by sophomore Britnee Blake (Superior, Wis.).
UW-Superior continued to stay close over the next three minutes, coming to within 20-18 after a three-pointer by sophomore Connie Urmanski (Edgar, Minn.) with 13:19 showing on the clock.
But the Warhawks steadily pulled away for the remainder of the first half, getting eight points from Bestor in the final eight minutes of the half on the way to outscoring the Yellowjackets 37-17 over the final 12:52 to take a comfortable 57-35 advantage into halftime.
UW-Whitewater would continue to pad their lead early in the second half, taking their largest lead of the game at 69-43 following a Bestor three-pointer with 14:25 left in regulation.
The Yellowjackets would mount an impressive run of their own over the next several minutes, cutting the lead to 70-60 with 9:22 left following a 15-0 burst keyed by a three from Kaitlyn Houser (Zimmerman, Minn.), two free throws and three-point play by Hart, an inside score and free throw from Thingvold and four points from junior Bri Davis (Hermantown, Minn.).
UW-Whitewater would hold on down the stretch however, getting four key free throws from Swanson in the final 3:09 while also receiving baskets from Chantel Burg and Kaitlyn Thill in the last 2:21 to clinch the victory.
For the game, the Yellowjackets were led by Hart, who had 21 points. Davis also had a strong game for UW-Superior, finishing with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Urmanski pitched in with 17 points as well. Along with Bestor's 19 points, the Warhawks also got 14 points from Dana Thompson and 11 from Swanson.