MORRIS, Minn. – Welcome to "This Week in Cougar Athletics," your one-stop shop for all news regarding Minnesota Morris Athletics.

Due to inclement weather, the basketball teams will now host Crown College on Thursday, Jan. 31, instead of Wednesday, Jan. 30. Game times will remain the same with the women playing at 5:30 p.m. and the men playing at 7:15 p.m.

Dacotah Deck Dedication/Cougar Sports Center Ceremony

With the postponement of Wednesday's basketball games, the Dacotah Deck dedication and Cougar Sports Center renaming ceremony will take place at a later date.

Athlete of the Week

Sophomore thrower Jessica Bliese was named the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Women's Indoor Field Athlete of the Week. At the CSB-SJU Invite, she won the women's shot put title with a UMAC-leading distance of 38-10.5, which ranks fourth all-time in school history. Along with capturing the women's shot put title, she took third in the women's weight throw with a mark of 42-9.5.

Basketball

Along with hosting Crown College on Thursday, Jan. 31, Minnesota Morris basketball will travel to Bethany Lutheran on Saturday, Feb. 2. The women will play at 3 p.m., while the men will play at 4:45 p.m.

The men's basketball team is coming off a 78-72 loss to St. Scholastica over the weekend. In the loss, Noah Grove scored 15 points to move into third all-time in scoring at Morris with 1,379 points. The women's basketball team moved to 8-2 in league play with a 77-43 victory over St. Scholastica. In the win, Elli Stevenson scored 17 points and tallied five assists.

Men's Basketball vs. Crown College Notes

• Crown won the first matchup earlier this season, 96-78
• Jeffrey Halverson scored 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting against Crown
• Crown is 12-7 on the year and 6-4 in conference play
• Crown recently defeated North Central, 126-115, in double overtime

Women's Basketball vs. Crown College Notes

• Minnesota Morris won the first matchup earlier this season, 74-36
• Kendra Raths led the Minnesota Morris offense with 15 points
• Crown is 3-16 on the year and 1-9 in UMAC play
• Crown is coming off a 60-33 loss to North Central

• Bethany Lutheran won the first matchup earlier this season, 92-88
• Earlier this season, Noah Grove scored 26 points in the loss
• Bethany Lutheran is 15-5 overall and leads the UMAC with a record of 10-1
• Heading into Thursday's contest against Northwestern, Bethany Lutheran defeated Northland College, 93-85

Women's Basketball vs. Bethany Lutheran Notes

• Minnesota Morris won the first matchup earlier this season, 76-67
• Kendra Raths and Abby Van Kempen each scored 19 points in the victory  
• Bethany Lutheran is 16-4 overall and is tied for the UMAC lead with a record of 10-1
• Heading into Thursday's contest against Northwestern, Bethany Lutheran defeated Northland College, 78-51

Tennis

The UMAC released its preseason coaches' polls for the 2019 tennis season. The Minnesota Morris women were selected fifth and the men were picked sixth.

Track & Field

The track & field program continues its indoor season with a trip to Bethel University for the Gene Glader Classic on Saturday, Feb. 2. The meet is slated for a 10 a.m. start at the Sports and Recreation Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Last weekend at the CSB-SJU Invite, the Cougars recorded six top-10 performances in program history.

Top-10 Performances Set at the CSB-SJU Invite