The University of Wisconsin Superior erased a 16-point first-half deficit but could not complete the comeback as the Yellowjackets fell 81-77 to the University of Minnesota Morris in their Upper Midwest Athletic Conference season finale on Saturday afternoon in Morris, Minnesota.

A hot-shooting opening half where UM-Morris (14-11, 9-7 UMAC) knocked down 5-of-7 from beyond the arc saw the Cougars open up a 16-point lead at 35-19 with 6:09 remaining in the opening frame. UW-Superior began its comeback there, immediately trimming the lead by five with back-to-back scores and then scored nine-straight points before Morris scored a last-second lay-up to take a 39-33 lead to the locker room. The Yellowjackets opened the second half with a ten-point run to eventually take a 47-44 lead, completing a 28-9 run over nearly 11 minutes of game time.

Morris scored six of the next eight points to regain the lead and then knocked down free throws to keep UW-Superior at bay, hitting 16-of-19 from the charity stripe in the second half. Junior guard Shaq Coleman (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East H.S.) was one of five Yellowjackets reaching double figures, leading the way with 19 points. Freshman Rafael Monteiro (São Paulo, Brazil/Santa Marcelina College) had 12 points while falling one rebound shy of a double-double, grabbing a game-high nine boards. UWS shot 43.3 percent as a team, including 50.0 percent (18-of-36) in the second half. Tyler Ukkelberg had a game-high 23 points for the Cougars, who shot 49.0 percent for the game.

With the conclusion of the 2016-17 season, the Yellowjackets bid farewell to senior Sam Williams (Brule, Wis./Northwestern H.S.), who appeared in eight games including one start for UW-Superior this season. Junior forward Andreas Priesler, who started every game for the Yellowjackets in 2016-17, is also expected to graduate after this season.