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University of Minnesota Morris Athletics

Official Athletics Website of The University of Minnesota Morris
LeRoy Staples-Fairbanks
Jim Wellbrock
56
Northland NC 0-23,0-12 UMAC
82
Winner Minn.-Morris UMM 12-11,6-6 UMAC
Northland NC
0-23,0-12 UMAC
56
Final
82
Minn.-Morris UMM
12-11,6-6 UMAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Northland NC 19 37 56
Minn.-Morris UMM 44 38 82

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Basketball Puts Away Northland Quickly

The Cougars jumped out quickly and led by 25 at the break en route to an 82-56 win on Saturday.

MORRIS, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris men's basketball team got past the disappointment of Friday's tough loss to the University of Wisconsin-Superior and notched a comprehensive 82-56 win over Northland College on Saturday afternoon. The Cougars up their record to 12-11 (6-6 UMAC) on the season as they closed out the home portion of their regular season schedule.

A jump of the passing lane and an uncontested layup put Minnesota Morris on the board courtesy of Pal Dak a couple minutes into the game, tying it at 2-2. Kenny Placide scored inside to put the Cougars ahead, but the lead was just 4-3 when LeRoy Staples-Fairbanks provided a jolt off the bench. Hunting shots from beyond the arc, Staples-Fairbanks hit three of his first four looks and gave Minnesota Morris a 15-5 advantage.

As the first half continued, Northland was unable to get much working other than at the free throw line. The LumberJacks made 13-of-14 free throws but were just 3-of-26 from the floor. That poor shooting performance gave Minnesota Morris an opening and the Cougars were able to reel off an 11-0 run finished off by threes from Brian LaRoche, Jr. and Jarrett Kujava to take a 36-13 lead. The margin grew to 27 points late in the half before the Cougars went to the break with a 44-19 edge. 

LaRoche, Jr. had five points in a 9-0 opening run to the second half for the Cougars, pushing the lead to 53-19 and eliminating any real chance of a Northland comeback. From that point on, the LumberJacks never got any closer than the final winning margin of 26 points. 

Dak once again led all scorers with 23 points on the day. He was joined in double-figures by Staples-Fairbanks with 12 and LaRoche, Jr. with 10. Twelve different Cougars ended up in the scoring column in the contest.

Minnesota Morris finds itself in the thick of the race for a UMAC Tournament bid, but the team's fate will come down to two road games next weekend in the Twin Cities. First up is a meeting with the University of Northwestern on Feb. 16 starting at 7:15 p.m. in St. Paul.
 
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