ST. PETER, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris men's basketball team fell to No. 19 Gustavus Adolphus College, 73–54, Saturday afternoon in nonconference play in St. Peter, Minn.
 
The Gusties improve to 13–1 overall, while the Cougars drop to 6–7.
 
It was a low-scoring start to the game, with Gustavus scoring the only three points in the first five minutes of action. The Gusties broke the dry spell with a layup with under 15 minutes left in the opening half. GAC pulled ahead by eight, but Alexander Munson finally got the Cougars on the board with a three-pointer. Kaden Pieper followed with a driving layup to make it a five-point game. Matt Thompson tried to keep pace with Gustavus, but the Gusties soon pushed the lead into double digits.
 
Coming out of a timeout, Thompson connected from three to make the score 21–10. The Gusties answered with a 9–2 run to extend the advantage. Pieper ended the rally with two free throws, but on the other end Gustavus knocked down a three. Thompson matched the basket with his second three of the game, and Pieper ended the half with a buzzer-beating triple to make the score 36–22 at halftime.
 
Pieper opened the scoring for the Cougars in the second half with a driving layup. Jase Nelson became only the fourth Cougar to score by going one-for-one at the free-throw line. After the first five minutes, GAC increased its lead to 21. Thomas Tiernan made his first shot of the contest with a jumper. Munson connected from deep for his second three of the game, and Thompson followed to bring UMM within 15.
 
Pieper later knocked down another three to push his total to 18 points. Carvin Fish got on the board with a layup. In the final five minutes, the Gusties were able to reclaim a 20-point edge. On a fast break, Brian LaRoche found Nelson in the corner for a three-pointer. In the final minute, LeRoy Staples-Fairbanks IV knocked down a pair of free throws, and Leul Samuel made a layup to close out the game at 73–54.
 
Pieper led the Cougars with 19 points, followed by Thompson with 13. Minnesota Morris struggled to find a rhythm offensively, shooting just 30.2 percent from the field, its lowest mark of the season. Tiernan led the team with two assists.
 
Defensively, Thompson recorded a double-double with 14 rebounds, while Fish also reached double figures with 12. Pieper accounted for three of the team's four steals, and Fish recorded the Cougars' lone block.
 
The Cougars return to action Monday as they travel to St. John's University for a 7 p.m. tipoff.