(Story by Zach Koenig)
St. Paul, MN—For the second time in one week, UMAC rival Northwestern College defeated the University of Minnesota-Morris basketball team, this time by the score of 91-62.
The loss dropped the Cougars to 5-3 in the UMAC and an even 9-9 overall.
Despite the tough loss, three Cougars managed to score in double-digits for the contest: Eric Dalbey (So. Mora, MN) with 17, Phil Allen (Jr. Clarissa, MN) with 14, and Will Jenson (Sr. Eau Claire, WI) with 12.
Northwestern established a slim lead in the opening minutes of the first half, but seven consecutive points from Dalbey gave the Cougars a 9-8 lead with 15:13 remaining. From that point, however, Northwestern quickly took the lead and never relinquished it.
A layup from Joey Fragodt (So. Benson, MN) and a three-pointer from Dalbey cut Northwestern’s lead to 24-19 with 7:03 left in the half, but the home team then went on a 16-4 run to put their halftime lead at 40-23.
Dalbey led UMM in scoring (10 points) during the first half, while Daniel Fragodt (Fr. Benson, MN) added six points of his own. Jenson nabbed four rebounds in the half.
A three-point play from Jenson put the Cougars within 12 points (44-32) early in the second half, but the home team then caught fire again and increased their lead to 70-43 just five minutes later.
Points from Daron Zych (Sr. Graceville, MN), Jeremy Bosch (So. Salol, MN) and Jordan Noonan (So. Richfield, MN) could not cut deep enough into Northwestern’s lead, resulting in the 91-62 final score.
Allen (12 points) and Jenson (10 points) led Minnesota-Morris in second half scoring, while Dalbey grabbed five boards.
For the contest, the Cougars were 22-61 (36.1%) shooting from the floor, as well as trailing Northwestern 21-8 in points coming off of turnovers.
 |  |
| Minnesota-Morris | 23 | 39 | 0 | 62 |
| Northwestern | 40 | 51 | 0 | 96 |
Box Score
