MORRIS, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris men's basketball team fell in its season opener, 84-70, to the College of St. Scholastica Friday night in Morris, Minn. Matt Thompson led the Cougars in his debut with 28 points.
 
Thomas Tiernan opened the scoring with a layup assisted by Thompson. After a bucket by the Saints, Carvin Fish hit a jumper to put UMM back in front. CSS then started to build a lead, scoring five straight points to go up 14-7. Another jumper from Fish ended the run. A second Saint rally extended their lead to 17 with under seven minutes remaining in the first half. LeRoy Staples-Fairbanks IV broke the drought for the Cougars, and on the following possession, Jang Dak scored his first points of the game. A free throw by Thompson and a Staples-Fairbanks three-pointer helped chip away at the deficit. To close out the half, the Saints knocked down two three-pointers and a layup to push their lead to 22. Thompson made the final shot of the half from beyond the arc to make it 41-22 heading into halftime.
 
St. Scholastica extended its lead to 25 early in the second half. UMM then began to chip away, starting with a three-point play by Thompson. A Fish layup followed by a Kaden Pieper layup capped a seven-point run. Pieper ignited another Cougar rally with a three-pointer, and he and Thompson combined for a 14-point surge that pulled the Cougars within six. The Saints responded, regaining a double-digit lead. Another three-pointer by Thompson cut the deficit to 62-54, but that was as close as UMM would get. After a brief exchange of baskets, CSS sealed the game at the free-throw line, closing out the contest 84-70.
 
Thompson led the Cougars with 28 points in his first game with the team. He finished 8-of-15 from the field, 3-of-7 from three, and 12-of-15 at the free-throw line. Pieper followed with 14 points and secured a double-double with 10 rebounds in his Cougar debut. Fish also reached double figures with 10 points. Thomas Tiernan led the team with three assists. The Cougars blocked six shots, with Thompson recording a team-high three.
 
The Cougars are back in action on Wednesday as they travel to Concordia College (Minn.) for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.