MORRIS, Minn. – Minnesota Morris (1-8) was unable to hold a six point halftime lead, falling 77-72 in overtime to Mayville State (7-3). Four Cougars scored in double-figures on the night, led by
RJ Dean's 14 points.
Cody Emrick and
Tyler Ukkelburg each added 13; it was a new career high for Ukkelburg.
Neil Helgeson added 11 points.
The Cougars defense kept them in the game all night forcing 20 turnovers which helped them overcome a 24-66 shooting night.
Joe Roggenbuck led the team with nine rebounds. Ukkelburg was second on the team with seven rebounds.
The game was extremely tight throughout a majority of the first half. The lead changed hands seven times in the first twenty minutes alone. Morris was hot in the first half from three, hitting 57% from behind the arc. Mayville State led 26-22 with 3:32 left in the first half but UMM finished the half on a 12-2 run, capped off by a jumper from Dean as time expired.
Morris would hold on to their lead as the second half got underway and even pushed it to as much as nine with 14:48 left. The Comets would claw their way back, eventually taking a one point lead with 8:35 left in the game. The lead would change hands a few more times and no team led by more than three the rest of the second half. Minnesota Morris had a crack at the last shot in regulation with the game tied at 66 but the shot was blocked and the game headed into overtime.
Both the Cougars and Comets hit their first two shots in the extra session and the game was tied at 70 midway through overtime. Mayville State pushed their lead to four with 21 seconds left and held off Morris the rest of the way.
Up next for the Cougars is a trip to Valley City State next Friday night at 7:30 p.m. Morris will not return home until January 10 when they take on Crown in the UMAC conference opener.
