NEW ULM, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris men's basketball team snapped a three-game skid with an 87-63 win at Martin Luther College on Saturday afternoon. With the victory, the Cougars move to 8-7 (4-3 UMAC) on the season.

Despite the final score, Martin Luther held out for a while in the first half. The lead traded hands for much of the opening 14 minutes of the game until Minnesota Morris closed out the first half with an 18-6 burst to take a 42-31 lead at the intermission. A Thomas Tiernan three ultimately gave the Cougars the lead for good at 27-25, and Blake Munson, Jaret Johnson, and Corbyn Alexander all had important moments to close out the first half for UMN Morris.

Minnesota Morris maintained a comfortable working margin for most of the way in the second half. The advantage dropped into single-digits just twice, the first of which came on Martin Luther's first possession of the half and was answered promptly by Johnson with a three-point play on the other end. After Noah Kannegiesser and Johnson hit consecutive threes, the Cougar lead ballooned to 62-46 before the Knights made one final push, slicing it back to nine with a 7-0 run midway through the half.

Following a Martin Luther layup with just under six minutes remaining, the game was still up for grabs with Minnesota Morris leading, 73-61. The Cougar defense would put the game to bed, allowing just one field goal the rest of the way as they closed it out on a 14-2 run.

Johnson led all scorers in the game with 22 points and added seven rebounds. Kannegiesser finished with 20 and had a game-high five assists. Pal Dak and Blake Munson each reached double-figures as well, finishing with 12 and 10, respectively. Alexander played his utility role off the bench with an all-around effort of nine points, eight rebounds, four assists, and three steals.

The Cougars will take a break from UMAC play on Tuesday night, traveling to Ellendale, N.D. for a non-conference matchup at Trinity Bible College slated to begin at 7:30 p.m.