For Immediate Release: February 20, 2008 Morris, MN – The University of Minnesota, Morris women’s basketball team defeated Presentation College 66-61 Tuesday night. The win puts the Cougars into the 2008 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) post-season tournament for the third straight year.
Minnesota, Morris will be the No. 3 seed and will take on Northland College, the No. 2 seed Friday, February 22nd at 2:00 p.m. at Northwestern College in St. Paul.
The Cougars finished the regular season 15-10 overall and 9-5 (third) in the UMAC. The 2007-08 season marks the third straight year the Cougars have had a winning season. UMM is 46-32 overall the past three years and 29-8 in conference play.
Last year the Cougars won their first ever post-season tournament game with an 86-73 win over Bethany Lutheran College but then lost to Presentation College 82-73 in the title game.
Senior Alaina Benson (Clinton, MN) is the teams leading scorer averaging 15.3 ppg., third in the league. She also became just the 17th player in Cougar women’s basketball history to reach the 1,000 point mark in her career. Heading into the tournament Benson has 1,055 points, moving her into 15th on the all-time scoring list.
Tynell Kocer (Jr. Pierre, SD) averages 14.9 ppg., 4th in the UMAC and Marissa Maynard (Sr. Blaine, MN) adds 10.9 ppg.
As a team, UMM leads the UMAC in field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage, assists, steals and turn over margin. The Cougars are second in scoring offense and free-throw percentage.
Minnesota, Morris and Northland College will be meeting for the second time in six days this Friday. Last Saturday, February 16th, the Lumberjills defeated the Cougars 71-66 at the UMM P.E. Center. Earlier this year, Northland handed UMM a 66-53 loss in Ashland Wisconsin.
Northwestern College, the No. 1 seed will take on Presentation College, the No. 4 seed Friday at 6:00 p.m. The championship game is set for Saturday, February 23rd at 4:00 p.m.
Tournament Website
