COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris men's basketball team was defeated 95–67 by St. John's University in its final nonconference game Monday night in Collegeville, Minn.
 
The Johnnies improve to 7–8 overall, while the Cougars drop to 6–8.
 
Carvin Fish started the scoring by connecting from behind the arc and then hit a turnaround jumper on the next possession. Matt Thompson put UMM up six early with a three-pointer, and Gustav Gunderson made the team's fourth consecutive field goal. The Johnnies pulled within three after scoring five straight points, but Kaden Pieper ended the rally with a driving layup. Fish scored his seventh point of the game to force a St. John's timeout.
 
Fish continued his hot streak out of the timeout, adding another basket. Thompson worked hard down low for a basket and a foul, then converted the free throw to give UMM a double-digit lead. The Cougars went cold, allowing the Johnnies to pull back within three. Gunderson ended the rally with a layup. St. John's kept it close, cutting the deficit to two with six minutes remaining in the first half. Samuel Daho extended the lead back to seven after Pieper found him in the corner for a three. LeRoy Staples-Fairbanks IV got on the board in the final two minutes, knocking down a pair of free throws. Fish reached double figures in the first half after scoring off an offensive rebound. Minnesota Morris took a 36–31 lead into halftime.
 
It took just eight seconds for Fish to score in the second half after receiving a pass from Gunderson. The first four shots of the half were made, with the Johnnies hitting a pair of three-pointers. Fish and Thompson helped create some separation, but St. John's answered with another triple. SJU went on a seven-point run to tie the game at 44–44. Thompson ended the run with a layup, but the Johnnies took their first lead of the game after completing a three-point play. The lead continued to change hands, with Fish and Alexander Munson matching the Johnnies' pace.
 
St. John's began to pull away, going up seven points before Ian Fahje ended the rally with his first points of the game. The Johnnies caught fire from three-point range to push their lead to 12. Daho and Fish started a rally to chip away at the SJU advantage, but St. John's continued to surge, extending the lead to 15 with six minutes remaining. Jase Nelson scored his first points of the contest late in the half. Johnny Tong ended the scoring with an and-one layup. St. John's controlled the final minutes to secure the 95–67 victory.
 
Fish led UMM with 21 points, shooting 9-for-15 from the field, 1-of-2 from three, and 2-of-3 at the free-throw line. Thompson and Pieper also reached double figures with 14 and 10 points, respectively. Eleven different Cougars scored in the contest, and Gunderson paced the team with three assists.
 
Gunderson also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, with Thompson and Fish adding six apiece. Gunderson and Nelson each recorded a steal, and Fish added two blocks.
 
The Cougars return home to host North Central University on Wednesday to resume Upper Midwest Athletic Conference play, with tipoff scheduled for 7:15 p.m.