MORRIS, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris men's basketball team nearly turned the tables on Mayville State University on Tuesday night. Coming off a 25-point defeat at MSU last week, the Cougars led much of the way until a 13-0 run by the Comets in the second half provided the difference in an 80-73 win for the visitors.

The first half was back and forth throughout, with an inside battle between Kenny Placide and Thomas Gieske providing much of the fireworks. Gieske had 20 points at the break for Mayville State, while Placide was 6-for-7 from the field for 12. After Gieske gave the Comets a 36-32 lead, Placide had a pair of buckets in a 9-0 run, helping the Cougars take a 41-38 halftime advantage.

Minnesota Morris used the three-ball to maintain that lead for much of the second half. Jarrett Kujava drained one in the early going and Blake Munson later had back-to-back triples. Another Kujava three-pointer made it 59-51 with under 10 minutes remaining before Placide had a three-point play followed by a dunk off a nice feed from Munson to give the Cougars a 64-54 lead.

After a Mayville State timeout, Jamison Kramer came back with five straight points to kick-start a 13-0 run for the Comets. Munson ended the offensive drought to cut the deficit to a single point, 67-66, but the Cougars would not pull even again. Four free throws from BJ Woods in the final 30 seconds padded the final margin for Mayville State.

Placide had 19 points to go along with seven rebounds and four blocked shots. Munson had 15 and seven assists, while Pal Dak tacked on 11. 

Minnesota Morris is back home on Thursday night, hosting Oak Hills Christian College at 7 p.m. following the conclusion of the women's contest earlier in the evening.