MORRIS, Minn.-- Women's Basketball fought for all four quarters on Saturday at the University of Minnesota-Morris. But the Cougars pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 76-62 win over North Central.

North Central (5-14, 1-10 UMAC) stood in with the host Cougars through the first quarter with the teams tied, 17-17, after the firs ten minutes. North Central struggled in the second quarter and UMM gained some traction to lead 39-28 at the half.

The Rams responded with 26 points in the third quarter to get within 58-54 after 30 minutes of action. Morris was able to grab control for good over the first five minutes of the final quarter with an 11-3 run that proved the difference in the Cougars win over North Central.

KEY SEQUENCE OF THE GAME

North Central came into the fourth quarter having outscored the Cougars 26-19 in the third, the highest scoring quarter for either team in the game. North Central looked to have the momentum to make things interesting down the stretch before a cold spell on offense doomed the Rams.

NCU got just one field goal over the first five minutes of the quarter and scored just three points over the first seven minutes. Morris pushed the lead out to 72-57 during that stretch leaving just three minutes on the clock, less than the Rams would need to make any last minute come back.

KEY PERFORMERS

Sophomore Lizzy Swanson (Askov, Minn./East Central) continues to be one of the best pure scorers in the UMAC, posting 23 points on Saturday. Senior Jamie High (Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo) added 14 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists as she moved within 100 points of the NCU career scoring record. 

UP NEXT

North Central returns to action on Tuesday for an NCCAA Division II regional match-up with Providence University-College (Otterburne, Manitoba). NCU hosts the Pilots in a 5:30 p.m. tip-off.