Minnesota, Morris 83
St. Scholastica 49

Box score

By Taylor Lunemann (Sports Editor, University Register)

Things you want on a team for a conference championship: heart, dedication, upperclassmen that can perform when it matters most, and a crowd of loud fans cheering on your home court.

Behind a remarkable shooting performance by guards Kendall Proell and Eric Dalbey, the Cougars ran out early and never looked back on a night when everything seemed to go right. UMM locked up the UMAC tournament championship with a convincing 83-49 win over St. Scholastica at the P.E. Center.

The Cougars and Saints had split games this year and Scholastica was coming off the upset of the season, having toppled #1 seed Northwestern on the road in the UMAC semifinals.

Seniors Proell (the tournament MVP), Phil Allen (15 points), and Joey Fragodt (smothering defense) all made major contributions. Proell would finish with 17 points to go with five boards and five assists. Dalbey scored 14, including a three at the first half buzzer that brought the crowd to its feet and gave UMM a 50-24 halftime lead.

Early on the Cougars looked a little tentative on offense but Proell and Allen helped everyone relax. Proell knocked down back to back to back three pointers, while Allen added tough points inside to give UMM some breathing room. When the rally quieted late in the first half, the Cougars had made a 34-11 run.

Dalbey and Proell were a combined 8 for 8 on three pointers in the first half. As a team the UMM shot 68% from the field and an astounding 89% on threes.

On defense, head coach Paul Grove moved his team into various presses to keep the Saints guards off balance and working for open shots.

The Saints led by all-UMAC players Danny Schmitz and Brett Tester tried to rally in the second half, but the shots would not fall from outside as they made just one three-point field goal for the game.

The Cougars won the inside battle, pulling down 32 rebounds to Scholastica's 16.

UMM, who was a preseason #1 pick in the UMAC, finishes the year with a 15-12 record. The Saints fell to 11-17.

Game Notes: The Cougars never trailed in either game of postseason play.

Proell was named the UMAC tournament MVP.

Grove chose to go with the stylish brown suit, no tie ensemble for the championship game, a winning combination our fashion experts said.

Next season, the UMAC will have an automatic qualifier into the NCAA tournament, meaning that the postseason tournament winner will advance to March Madness.