Four straight losses had put the UW-Superior women's basketball team into a tough position heading into Saturday afternoon's regular season home finale against UW-LaCrosse.
Not only were the Yellowjackets seeking to gain their first win since Jan. 28, they were also hoping to give themselves some valuable momentum heading into their final two games on the road against UW-River Falls and UW-Oshkosh.
Thankfully, the Yellowjackets were more than up to the challenge, taking a large lead midway through the second half before holding on for a 71-66 victory at Mertz Mortorelli Gymnasium.
UW-Superior (13-10 overall, 6-8 WIAC) started well in the first half, getting a layup from Deandra Vavra (Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti), and four consecutive points from Grace Kennedy (Wausau, Wis./Newman Catholic) to take a 6-3 lead 18:15 remaining in the first half.
The Eagles (10-14, 4-11) came right back, taking a 10-8 lead on a basket by Marina Kneeland before a jumper by Sally Linzmeier (Valders, Wis./Valders) evened matters at 10-10 at the 14:45 mark of the opening half.
UW-Superior retook the lead on a three-pointer by Britnee Blake (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) with 11:08 left, making it a 15-12 game.
The Yellowjackets continued to expand their lead from there, upping the margin to 25-14 on a jumper by Linzmeier with 5:47 showing on the clock.
Blake went on to score UW-Superior's final six points of the first half, including connecting on two free throws with nine seconds left to propel the Yellowjackets into a 33-23 halftime advantage.
UW-LaCrosse made an early push in the second half, scoring the first six points of the frame to cut the deficit to 33-29 on a three-pointer by Erin Levenhagen with 17:41 left in regulation.
The Yellowjackets came right back however, scoring seven of the next nine points to take a 40-31 lead on Vavra's three-pointer at the 15:46 mark.
UW-Superior held a double-digit lead for the majority of the second half, taking their largest lead of the game at 60-44 on a layup by Linzmeier with just 6:10 showing on the clock.
The Eagles refused to quit, steadily rallying back and coming to within 67-63 on a jumper by Kneeland with 1:14 left in the contest.
But UW-Superior persevered down the stretch, getting four straight free throws from Linzmeier in the last 23 seconds to clinch the victory.
Offensively, Linzmeier led the way with a game-high 19 points and 10 rebounds. Vavra finished with 14 points while Kennedy pitched in with 11.
The Eagles were paced by Rachel Atchison with 17 points. Kneeland and Levenhagen each had 12 points with Mallory Cramer finishing with 11 for UW-LaCrosse.
UW-Superior plays the first of their final two regular season road games of the season on Wednesday night against UW-River Falls. Opening tipoff from the Karges Center is scheduled for 7 p.m. The game can be heard live on 91.3 FM KUWS with Matt Johnson on the call.