CONCORDIA, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris men's basketball team narrowly fell to Concordia College (Minn.), 79-74, on Wednesday night in Concordia, Minn.
The Cobbers improved to 1-0, while the Cougars dropped to 0-2.
Concordia opened the game with a three-pointer, but Carvin Fish quickly answered with the Cougars' first basket. Gustav Gunderson followed with the next five points to give UMM the lead. Both teams traded three-pointers, with Kaden Pieper connecting from deep for Minnesota Morris. Fish extended the lead to eight with a hook shot and a layup, and Pieper added the next five Cougar points to push the advantage to 10. The Cobbers chipped away, closing the gap to three with under 10 minutes to play. Matt Thompson scored four straight points on a pair of free throws and a layup to rebuild the lead to six. Late in the half, Gunderson and Jang Dak each scored to restore an eight-point cushion, but Concordia closed the period on an 11-2 run to tie the game at 37-37 going into halftime.
Concordia took the lead early in the second half before Fish tied the game again at 39-39. Thompson knocked down a three-pointer to regain the lead for UMM, and layups from Pieper and Fish extended it to five. The Cobbers responded with a pair of free throws to pull ahead midway through the half. The teams traded baskets for much of the period, with Concordia leading by five inside the final 10 minutes. Fish completed a three-point play, added another free throw, and Thompson followed up a missed shot with a putback to erase the deficit.
The lead continued to change hands down the stretch, but UMM couldn't pull away. Concordia capitalized late, going up six with under six minutes remaining. Thompson scored on an offensive rebound, and after a forced turnover, hit a jumper to bring the Cougars within two. Following a pair of traded three-pointers, Fish and Thompson each connected from deep, and LeRoy Staples-Fairbanks IV tied the game at the free throw line with under a minute to go. However, he missed the second shot, and Concordia answered with a go-ahead three-pointer on the next possession. The Cobbers sealed the win at the line to take it, 79-74.
Fish led the Cougars with a season-high 24 points, while Thompson added 18. Pieper also reached double figures with 11. Minnesota Morris shot 28-for-69 (40.6%) from the field, 7-for-22 (31.8%) from three-point range, and 11-for-16 at the free throw line. Gunderson led the team with nine assists.
Defensively, Fish and Pieper each grabbed eight rebounds, followed by Thompson with seven. Gunderson recorded a team-high two steals, while Fish blocked both Cougar shots.
The Cougars return to action this weekend at the Buena Vista Tournament in Storm Lake, Iowa, opening play Friday against Nebraska Wesleyan University at 5 p.m.
