MORRIS, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris men's basketball team moved into first place in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference after defeating Crown College 79-66 Wednesday night in Morris, Minn.
 
The win improves the Cougars to 10–10 overall and 5–2 in UMAC play, while the Polars fall to 11–9 overall and 5–3 in the conference.
 
The teams traded baskets early, with Carvin Fish scoring inside the arc before Matt Thompson connected from beyond the arc. Fish gave the Cougars an early four-point edge. Crown pulled within one with a three-pointer, but Kaden Pieper answered on the other end. Baskets from Fish and Pieper pushed Minnesota Morris ahead 15-11. LeRoy Staples-Fairbanks IV added a three-pointer, but the Polars rallied and took a 21-20 lead. Thompson responded with two free throws, followed by a Thomas Tiernan three-pointer to put the Cougars back in front. Jase Nelson got on the board at the free-throw line, and Fish followed suit to give UMM a six-point lead with six minutes remaining in the half. Gustav Gunderson stopped a four-point Crown run with a three-pointer. Tiernan added another triple, Fish scored his 14th point in the paint, and Thompson hit his second three of the game to extend the lead to eight. Crown closed the half with two free throws to make the score 40-33 at the break.
 
Crown opened the second half with a five-point run. Tiernan ended the stretch with a three-pointer, but the Polars answered with one of their own. Fish and Pieper continued to score to keep Minnesota Morris in front, and Tiernan knocked down his fourth three-pointer to extend the lead to seven. The advantage continued to grow as Pieper drove to the basket for two, followed by a Thompson three-pointer. Fish capped a 14-point run to give the Cougars their largest lead of the night at 16. Pieper later regained the 16-point advantage with a long three-pointer. Down the stretch, Minnesota Morris held firm, not allowing Crown to cut into the lead. In the final minutes, Pieper and Nelson attacked the basket to seal the 79-66 victory.
 
Fish led the Cougars in scoring with 23 points, shooting 8-for-13 from the floor and 7-for-8 at the free-throw line. As a team, Minnesota Morris shot 45.5 percent from the field, 42.3 percent from three-point range, and 90.0 percent from the free-throw line. Pieper added 19 points, while Tiernan and Thompson also reached double figures with 14 and 11 points, respectively. Pieper and Gunderson paced the Cougars with three assists apiece.
 
Defensively, Pieper and Thompson each recorded a double-double with 10 rebounds apiece. Fish followed with seven rebounds as UMM narrowly outrebounded Crown 36-34. The Cougars recorded three steals from Thompson, Fish, and Gunderson, while Thompson, Tiernan, Nelson, and Staples-Fairbanks each recorded a block.
 
The Cougars conclude their homestand on Saturday as they host the University of Northwestern at 2:45 p.m.