MORRIS, Minn. -- The University of Minnesota Morris men's basketball team was looking to start 2019 off with its third-straight win over a UMAC opponent, playing host to Bethany Lutheran College Wednesday night. 

At the half, it appeared that the Cougars were certainly on their way to doing just that. 

Then the Vikings woke up.

Shooting 63 percent and going 50 percent from three-point territory, Bethany Lutheran halted the Cougars two-game conference win streak with a 92-88 win inside the P.E. Center. 

In the first half, the Cougars seemed to be simply one step ahead of their opponents, playing smothering defense. In fact, Minnesota Morris was able to create 12 Vikings turnovers in the first half, four of those coming by ways of steals from Kenneth Riley, Jeremy Halverson and a pair from Noah Grove. On the offensive end, the Cougars started off hot, starting the game with a 8-2 run. However, from there, the Vikings started to slowly work their way back into the game and at the 14:15-mark of the first half, saw themselves with their first opportunity to lead the contest. 

That was shot lived as the Cougars mounted yet another quick 8-2 run to turn a 13-12 deficit into a 22-15 lead. The Vikings would be in striking distance of regaining the lead on two separate occasions shortly following, however the tenacious motor of Grove and the sharpshooting from Jeremy Halverson appeared to be just too much. The Cougars ended the half with an 11-2 run with six points coming for the senior guard. 

The second half was a completely different story as the Cougars went cold while the Vikings quickly heated up. After shooting 50 percent form the floor in the first half, Minnesota Morris shot a dreadful 36.5 percent in the final half of play and went from shooting almost 36 percent from three in the first half to 23.5 in the second. The Cougars also struggled with second chance opportunities, scoring just three points in the second half off the missed initial attempt. 

Despite the cold spurt, the Cougars were still neck and neck with the Vikings for much of the second half, as the largest lead prior to the final minute was seven points. Trailing by four with just over three minutes remaining, Trey Heinsuis' lay up brought the deficit to two. As the score remained mainly a five-point affair, Jeremy Halverson's three-pointer with 37 seconds left saw the Cougars trail by one, 85-84. However, a pair of successful trips to the charity stripe for the Vikings would seal the fate for Minnesota Morris as Grove's three-pointer at the buzzer fell just short. 

It was fantastic showing for the senior guard from Morris, Minn. scoring a team-high 26 points. Jeremy Halverson and James Pendleton also had strong showings, scoring 16 and 12 points respectively. 

The Cougars (4-8, 2-2 UMAC) will be back in action Saturday as they face North Central University in a UMAC tilt. Tip-off is set for 4:45 P.M. in Minneapolis.