SAINT PAUL, Minn. - To stay on top of the UMAC standings, the University of Minnesota Morris men's basketball team needed to come away with a victory in the road game against the University of Northwestern. Amidst the loud and excited fans filling up the Erickson Center, the Cougars defied all odds and dominated in a 78-73 victory over the Eagles while going a perfect 15-15 from the charity stripe. Minnesota Morris sits tied for first place with four other UMAC schools.

The Cougars got off to a slow start in the first half of the matchup, marking low shooting percentages and struggling to stop the Eagles' offense as they led the game. Minnesota Morris trailed by a discouraging seven points at the halftime buzzer, but showed no signs of defeat as they headed to the locker room. 

In the fight to regain control of the game, the Cougars opened up the second half with a 17-10 run in the first five minutes. Dom Aguilar and Pal Dak led the offensive charge while scoring at-will from all over the floor. The scoring started close for the next few minutes, as the Eagles attempted to keep things tied while the Cougars looked to expand their lead to more than a few points. With 39 seconds left on the clock, Minnesota Morris' free throw shooting won the game. Carvin Fish had a clutch and-one to put the Cougars up one. Aguilar went to the line and knocked down his free throws with 26 seconds to go. The Cougar defense was stifling, on the other end of the court and Jase Nelson put the game to rest with two final free throws to give Minensota Morris a five point edge.

Aguilar dropped a 25-point performance on the day to lead the Cougars, followed closely by Dak with a 20-piece. Gustav Gunderson was the silent scorer for Minnesota Morris, racking up 11 points on the day. 

Cougar basketball returns to James Gremmels Court for a rematch against North Central University on Feb. 12. The ball is scheduled to go in the air at 5:30pm.