Upper Midwest Athletic Conference

UMAC women’s basketball postseason race still wide open

2/10/2011 10:33:42 AM

ST. PAUL – With just four games remaining in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) women’s basketball play, seven teams still have a chance to capture a spot in the four-team conference postseason tournament. For the first time in the UMAC’s history, the winner of the conference tournament will receive an automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The University of Minnesota, Morris goes into this weekend with a perfect 10-0 conference record and has secured a berth in the post-season tournament. They are also guaranteed to host a semi-final contest as they cannot fall below a No. 2 seed. The Cougars will face a tough game on the road this week though, playing at Northwestern College, which is currently second in the conference standings.

Northwestern can control its own destiny in getting in to the post-season tournament. The Eagles, with an 8-2 conference record, only need one more win to secure a berth. They boast the league’s top scorer in Katie DeWitt, who averages 22.1 points per game, but face tough match-ups this weekend as they host Minnesota, Morris and Presentation.

Martin Luther College holds a 5-5 record in conference play and will meet up with the other two 5-5 UMAC teams this weekend, hosting both St. Scholastica and Northland. The Knights have heated up lately, winning three of their last four contests. Junior Erica Babinec leads the squad offensively, averaging 17.7 points per game. All three 5-5 teams still have a chance to be the Nos. 2, 3, or 4 seeds.

Northland College, also at 5-5, will hope to avenge an early 56-49 loss to Bethany Lutheran by beating the Vikings Friday night before taking on Martin Luther on Saturday. The LumberJills have been lighting it up from downtown, leading the conference in 3-point field goal percentage (37.2 percent) and 3-point field goals made (8.0 per game).

Also tied for third in the conference standings is the College of St. Scholastica, who takes a 5-5 record into this weekend’s contests with Bethany Lutheran and Martin Luther. The Saints have been inconsistent all season, and have been unable to put together a winning streak. They will rely on their defense this weekend as they have kept their opponents to a conference-low of 37.0 percent from the field.

Bethany Lutheran College’s four-game losing streak has dropped the Vikings to 4-6 in conference play, but wins this weekend could keep them in the hunt as they could still earn a No. 3 or No. 4 seed. The top two rebounders in the conference wear Vikings uniforms. Jessica Englund grabs 10.8 rebounds per game while Nicole Jones collects 9.5 rebounds per contest.

Although currently in seventh place in the conference standings at 3-7, Presentation College still has a chance to be the No. 3 or 4 seed in the post-season tournament. The Saints will travel to Crown College and Northwestern this weekend and severely need wins to stay in the hunt. They will hope to do this with the help of Nicky Rausch, who leads the conference in assists 4.8 per game and is second in scoring with 18.0 points per game.

Crown, at 0-10 in the conference, is eliminated from the post-season tournament. They host Presentation and Minnesota, Morris this weekend and could spoil playoff hopes for the Saints. Judy Mundt has been a bright spot for the Storm this season and is tied for first in the conference in 3-point field goals made with 2.9 per game.

Following this weekend’s action, all eight teams will still have two more conference games to play on February 18 and 19 before postseason seeding can be finalized. The first round of the tournament will be hosted by the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds on Wednesday, February 23. The championship game and battle for an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament will take place on Saturday, February 26 and will be hosted by the highest remaining seed.

This Weekend’s UMAC Schedule
Friday, February 11
Presentation at Northwestern, 5:30 p.m.
Minnesota-Morris at Crown, 5:30 p.m.
St. Scholastica at Martin Luther, 5:30 p.m.
Northland at Bethany Lutheran, 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, February 12
Minnesota-Morris at Northwestern, 3 p.m.
Presentation at Crown, 3 p.m.
Northland at Martin Luther, 3 p.m.
St. Scholastica at Bethany Lutheran, 3 p.m.

UMAC Women’s Basketball Standings as of Feb. 10