ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris men's basketball team dropped an Upper Midwest Athletic Conference game, 88–79, to the University of Northwestern on Saturday night in St. Paul, Minn.
 
The Cougars fall to 7–9 overall and 2–1 in UMAC play, while the Eagles improve to 4–12 overall and 2–2 in conference action.
 
Carvin Fish scored the opening basket on the Cougars' first possession of the game, and Thomas Tiernan followed with a three-pointer to build an early lead. The Eagles answered by tying the game at 7–7. Fish put UMM back in front twice with a layup and a jumper. Kaden Pieper got on the board with a driving layup, and Fish restored the five-point advantage.
 
After Northwestern tied the game again, Matt Thompson and Jase Nelson scored their first points to keep the Cougars on top. The Eagles then went on a 13–0 run to take an eight-point lead. Fish ended the rally with a layup for his 12th point of the half. Northwestern extended the lead to 15 before Thompson chipped away with a three-pointer. Pieper cut the deficit to nine, and that margin held for the remainder of the half as UNW took a 47–38 lead into halftime.
 
Early in the second half, Tiernan started a rally with a three-pointer. Pieper and Tiernan continued to score, making it a two-point game. Fish went 1-of-2 from the free-throw line to keep it a one-possession contest. The Eagles began to pull away again, and with just over 12 minutes remaining, Fish made a layup to make it 59–55.
 
The teams traded baskets, with UMM unable to cut the deficit to fewer than four points. With seven minutes remaining, Northwestern's lead returned to double digits. Thompson knocked down a three-pointer to spark another short rally, but UNW responded and held on for an 88–79 victory.
 
Fish led all scorers with 29 points, his second-highest total of the season. Pieper added 18 points, while Tiernan and Thompson each finished with 14. As a team, UMM shot 45.3 percent from the field, 29.0 percent from three-point range, and 57.1 percent from the free-throw line. Gustav Gunderson dished out a team-high five assists.
 
Defensively, Thompson recorded a double-double with a team-leading 10 rebounds, while Fish grabbed eight boards. Fish also led the team with two blocks, and Gunderson and LeRoy Staples-Fairbanks IV each recorded a steal.
 
The Cougars return to action on Wednesday when they travel to Crown for a 7:15 p.m. tipoff.