Superior, Wis. – The second-seed Vikings were seeking an upset on the road over the top-seeded UW-Superior Yellowjackets tonight in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) tournament championship game. The Yellowjackets have not lost a game since they joined the UMAC and they have claimed the last two UMAC tournament championships. Tonight, the Yellowjackets kept their perfect record intact as they defeated the Vikings by a final score of 66-54.
 
The Vikings spent most of the first quarter ahead of the Yellowjackets, not surrendering the lead until there was less than a minute to play in the first quarter. The Yellowjackets grabbed a small lead of five points early in the second quarter, but the Vikings came back quickly with a 6-0 run to regain control. The Vikings held their largest lead of the first half and the game after a pair of free throws from Abby Olson put them up seven points. The Yellowjackets closed the game on a small run, but the Vikings took a two point lead into halftime.
 
The Yellowjackets come out strong in the third quarter and outscored the Vikings 25-6 to take a commanding lead. The Vikings did their best to close the gap in the fourth quarter and outscored the Yellowjackets, but they didn't quite have enough for the win.
 
Abby Olson led the Vikings tonight in scoring with 13 points. Olson also had six steals. Haley Sandin finished the game with 11 points and Hanna Geistfeld scored nine. Senior forward Brooke Henning finished with six points and seven rebounds and senior forward Dakota Ellinghuysen eight points and four rebounds.
 
The Vikings had a tough night shooting from the floor, finishing 20-60 (33.3%). The Vikings were 1-15 from behind the arc and finished 13-21 from the free throw line. The Vikings grabbed 14 offensive rebounds to give themselves extra opportunities, but they also committed 23 turnovers on the night.

The Bethany women's basketball team enjoyed their most successful season in program history this season. The Vikings set a new single season record by winning 20 games and they advanced to the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) tournament championship game for the first time in school history. Veteran head coach Lyle Jones, now in his fourth season coaching the Vikings as an NCAA team and 16th season overall, guided a talented group of upperclassmen and young players through a season which will be remembered by Viking players and fans for some time come.
 
The Vikings graduate three seniors from this year's memorable team in Brooke Henning, Dakota Ellinghuysen, and Shelby Sicheneder. The Viking women finish the season with a 20-7 record overall and a 12-4 record in UMAC play which was good for a second place finish.
 
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MEDIA: If you need further information, please feel free to contact Dan DeWitt at 507-344-7856 or email ddewitt@blc.edu