DULUTH, Minn. - The University of Minnesota Morris men's basketball team headed north to take on the College of St. Scholastica Saints. The Cougars fell 70-87 against their MIAC opponent, moving to a record of 2-8 on the season.

The Saints found an early lead in the first half of the matchup, creating a comfortable thirteen-point gap with ten minutes remaining in the half. With two minutes to go in the first half, Pal Dak hit two from the charity stripe. Brian LaRoche Jr. splashed a three and Dak hit one of his own with an and-one to close the gap to 27-35. Unable to score in the rest of the half, Minnesota Morris trailed 27-39 heading into halftime. Dak earned fourteen of the Cougar's 27 points in the first half. 

Despite a tough battle from Minnesota Morris in the second half, St. Scholastica expanded the scoring gap and led by seventeen at the final buzzer. The Cougars were able to bring things close (44-53) with thirteen minutes in the half, but a 7-0 run from the Saints was too much for Minnesota Morris to recover from. The Cougars were unable to respond to St. Scholastica, and the scoreboard showed 70-87 at the conclusion of the game. 

Dak held a game-high 27 points at the end of the night, going 9-9 from the free throw line in the process. He also pulled in nine rebounds, the highest for the Cougars in the game. Dom Aguilar, Jase Nelson, and LaRoche Jr. each brought in nine points for Minnesota Morris. 

The Cougars will take a break for the holiday season and return to play Macalester College Jan. 2 at 5 pm.