Story by: Zach Koenig
Morris, MN—The University of Minnesota-Morris men’s basketball team suffered a tough 69-65 loss at the hands of Northwestern College on Saturday.
Despite the loss, three Cougars still managed to score in double digits: Will Jenson (Sr. Eau Claire, WI) had 17 points, Phil Allen (Jr. Clarissa, MN) had 13, and Eric Dalbey (So. Mora, MN) had 11.
Jenson and Dalbey had eight rebounds apiece, while Joey Fragodt (So. Benson, MN) pulled down five boards.
UMM jumped out to a quick lead in the first half, and with 11:14 remaining a Dalbey three-point shot set the score at 23-11. A three-pointer from Corey Kelzenberg (Sr. Fridley, MN) kept the Cougars in front 33-26 with 2:54 left to play, but Northwestern took the lead 36-35 with just 40 seconds left on the clock.
A layup from Allen and a three-pointer from Daniel Fragodt (Fr. Benson, MN), however, put the Cougars up 40-36 at the break.
Jenson (13 points) and Allen (10 points) led the first half in scoring, while Jenson also nabbed six rebounds.
UMM lost their slim lead at the beginning of the second half, but a three-pointer from Joey Fragodt gave the lead back to the Cougars, 49-48. After the visitors had gone ahead again, a three-pointer from Dalbey regained the 58-57.
From that point, however, it was all Northwestern, with the visitors pulling away for the 69-65 final score.
Dalbey scored eight points in the second half, and Ross Johnson (So. Eyota, MN) added three of his own.
The Cougars were outscored 32-16 in the paint, shooting at a 23-44 (52.3%) clip from the floor.
The loss dropped the Cougars into a three-way tie for second in the UMAC as St. Scholastica suffered a 79-62 loss to Bethany Lutheran. The Cougars St. Scholastica and Bethany are all 5-2 in the league at the halfway point of conference play.
Minnesota-Morris, now 5-2 in the UMAC after the loss and 9-8 overall, travel to Northwestern on Friday, February 1, for the 7:30 p.m. rematch.
 |  |
| Minnesota-Morris | 40 | 25 | 0 | 65 |
| Northwestern College | 36 | 25 | 33 | 69 |
Box Score
