Yellowjackets 81, Martin Luther 63

The Yellowjacket women's basketball team was in action Friday night when they took on UMAC foe Martin Luther. Currently sitting atop the UMAC following their defeat of Northwestern last Saturday, the Yellowjackets were looking to hold onto their spot against Martin Luther.

The throne is still the Yellowjackets, as they defeated Martin Luther to push their winning streak to an unprecedented 11 games.

This started out much closer than most casual observers would have thought. The Yellowjackets opened the scoring with layups from Grace Kennedy and Hailey Kontny to take a 4-0 lead with 8:37 remaining in the quarter. Martin Luther fought back, taking the lead 11-9 at the 4:37 mark of the quarter. The Yellowjackets briefly retook the lead, but Martin Luther claimed it right back, as the Yellowjackets went into the first break trailing 19-17.

The Knights opened up the second quarter on a 5-0 run to push their lead to 24-17 with 7:37 remaining, as it looked like the Yellowjackets streak may be at risk. This deficit did not phase the Yellowjackets, as they slowly kept chipping away before a Brittany Laehn layup with 5:05 remaining in the quarter tied the game up at 29-29. Laehn then hit a 3-pointer the next possession to give the Yellowjackets back the lead at 32-29. The Yellowjackets and Knights played even basketball the rest of the quarter, as the Yellowjackets went into the break nursing a 34-33 lead.

The third quarter saw the Yellowjackets come out with all pistons firing. Within the first two and a half minutes of the quarter, the Yellowjackets had gone on a 9-0 run, capped off by a Kennedy layup that pushed their lead to 43-33. The Yellowjackets used this early burst to hold onto a double-figure lead for much of the quarter, going into the final break with a 56-43 lead following a Hannah Norlin jumper at the buzzer.

The lead continued to grow in the fourth, reaching a peak of 24 points. With the game firmly in hand, the Yellowjackets were able to coast in for the victory.

The Yellowjackets had a very balanced attack in this matchup, as every player who played scored at least three points. Laehn and Justine Larson were the leading scorers in this matchup with 12 points apiece. Allyssa Lindberg added 10 points off the bench as the only other Yellowjacket in double figures.

Martin Luther was paced by Grace Schultz, who finished with a game high 22 points. Mariah Schoof was the only other Knight in double figures, finishing with 11 points.

The Yellowjackets finished with 13 turnovers. Martin Luther finished with 15.

The 11 game winning streak will be put on the line Saturday, January 23 when the Yellowjackets (14-2, 9-0 UMAC) take on Bethany Lutheran College. Game time from Mertz Mortorelli Gymnasium is set for 5:00 p.m.