SUPERIOR, Wis. -- Four players scored in double figures to lead the UW-Superior men's basketball team to an 82-74 victory over Minnesota Morris at Mertz Mortorelli Gymnasium on Friday.
 
With the win, the Yellowjackets (15-9, 9-4 UMAC) ensured a place in the upcoming Upper Midwest Athletic Conference tournament. If Superior wins against Crown Saturday, UWS would finish as the second seed.
 
Junior J'Vaun Walker (Rosharon, Texas/Manvel) led all players with 23 points on 6-for-12 shooting, adding seven rebounds, five assists and four steals. Senior Josef Fahrenholtz (Chatfield, Minn./Chatfield) scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while Reid Johnson (Chatfield, Minn./Chatfield) and Joey Barker (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) had 11 points each.
 
Minnesota Morris (12-11, 7-6) shot 61 percent from the field in the first half and found itself in a 40-31 hole at the halftime break thanks to 11 turnovers. The Cougars climbed back into the game in the second half, getting 11 points from Kenny Placide. A three-point play with 13:20 remaining by Placide cut the Minnesota Morris deficit to 49-47 prior to the Yellowjackets pulled away.
 
A layup by Walker with 9:39 to play punctuated a 9-3 Superior run, extending its lead to 58-50.
 
The Cougars responded as Ian Carlin converted a layup with 6:51 left to make it 62-58, but UWS embarked on a 10-2 run over the next three-plus minutes to put the game out of reach as a Johnson 3-pointer pushed the lead to 72-60 with 3:28 to play.
 
Jarret Johnson paced the Cougars with 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists in the loss. Placide added 15 points and four boards for the Cougars, who shot 51.6 percent for the game.
 
The Yellowjackets shot 46 percent on the night, including hitting seven 3-pointers.
 
The UWS closes the regular season Saturday against the Polars at 3 p.m.