Ashland, WI - The Northland College Lumberjills bested the Saints of St. Scholastica on Wednesday night in Ashland.  The final score was 81-78.  This back and forth contest had multiple ties, lead changes, scoring runs and big plays.  The Jills came out on top with a great overall team effort to get the UMAC conference victory.  Neither team led by more than 7 points as both teams were evenly matched. 
 
NC Freshman Miranda Wagner started the game determined to attack the basket.  Wagner got the jump ball and took it all the way to the basket for a lay-up.  On the next possession, she nabbed a steal and scored again putting NC up 4-0.  The first quarter went back and forth and both teams held leads in the quarter.  As the quarter was winding down, USS hit a 3-pointer and the Lumberjills finished the first quarter up 16 to 15.  
 
In the second quarter the game continued to go back and forth.  Freshman Alex Espinoza hit a floater in the lane to put the Jills up 34-31 with 58 seconds to go in the half.  NC fouled the Saints on the next possession and USS split the pair.  NC couldn't hold onto the 2 point lead and gave up a 3-pointer at the end of the quarter and went into the locker room down by 1, 35 to 34.  
 
The third quarter started off slow for the Jills as they turned the ball over on the first possession and that led to an easy basket inside for the Saints.  Wagner fired back with another jumper with 8:44 left in the quarter.  The Saints went on their biggest scoring run after that and held a 7 point lead, 43-36.  It was Wagner again who ended their scoring run and hit another jumper in the lane.  Fellow Freshman Sarah Dunbar hit a 3-pointer from the corner on the next possession for the Jills which brought them within 2, 43 to 41.  The teams traded buckets throughout the rest of the quarter and it ended with Dunbar scoring on a nice move for a left handed layup to pull the Jills within 1, 47 to 46.  
 
Both teams really started to battle as the final quarter rolled on.  The Jills took a 4 point lead, 57 to 53 as Wagner scored on great backdoor pass from Freshman Ashley Lopez.  The Saints Kaylee Kennedy scored on the next possession for USS.  Sophomore Aja Gregg was fouled and split the pair with 4:25 left in regulation.  The Jills gave away their 1 point lead as the Saints punched back and went up 62-59.  NC wasn't done fighting as Freshman Bailey Wynn hit her fifth 3-pointer of the game to tie things up at 62 with 1:48 to go.  The scored tied up agin at 64 after both teams hit baskets.  Sophomore Lindsay Bressette, who was sidelined early in the first quarter with foul trouble, took the ball into the lane and made the bucket and was fouled.  She hit the free throw putting the Jills up 3, 67 to 64 with 40.8 seconds remaining.  Kennedy followed suit and scored 3 points the hard way knotting things up again at 67.  Bressette attacked the basket as the regulation clock was expiring, but despite heavy contact, no foul was called.  
 
In overtime, neither team wanted to give up this conference game and things still went back and forth.  Bressette put the team on her back when she scored and was fouled with 2:50 to go.  The Jills went up 3, 74 to 71.  NC got a stop on the next possession and it looked like Bressette was going to take the ball to hoop again but she found Junior Sarah Houle underneath the basket with a nifty no-look pass with 2:22 remaining.  The Saints scored inside to bring them within 3, but were forced to foul Lopez who hit both from the charity stripe to put NC up 78-73 with 58.9 to go.  USS answered back with a big 3-point shot to keep the Saints within one possession of the JIlls.  Bressette was fouled on the next possession and hit both free throws for NC to seal the game with 36.6 left.  The Saints scored on their next trip down the court but were forced to foul again.  NC split the pair putting them up 3, 81-78.  The Jills had a huge defensive stop and despite missing their two free throws on the next possession, the Saints weren't left with enough time on the clock to get a good shot off and the Jills emerged victorious, 81-78.   
 
The balanced NC attack was led by Wynn with 20 points and shot 5 of 11 from the three point line.  Wagner scored 18 points and had 6 rebounds. Bressette scored all of her 12 points in the second half and Dunbar finished with 10 points.  Kennedy led the Saints with 28 points.  This was the first conference win and first win at home this season for the Jills.  They will take this positive momentum into their next game at home on Saturday against Martin Luther at 4:45 pm.