SUPERIOR, Wis. – The Yellowjacket men's basketball team welcomed the Cougars of Minnesota Morris to the Mertz Saturday afternoon. Following a loss on the road to Northwestern, the 'Jackets looked to bounce back in the win column nearing the midway point of Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) play.
 
The Cougars, however, weren't going to make things easy for Superior.
 
After a six-point run from UMM to begin the game, the Yellowjackets kept things close, intermittently regaining the lead throughout the half. Minnesota Morris took control in the second frame with a 12-point lead, but a late comeback by Superior forced an overtime session.
 
A buzzer-beating three pointer courtesy of Andrew Kunelius (Caledonia, Minn./Caledonia) sent the Yellowjacket faithful into hysterics. A few costly fouls would hinder the Yellowjackets, though, as Minnesota Morris came away with a 76-71 victory.
 
Game Notes

• After the Cougars scored the first six points of the matchup, Johnson drew a foul after nailing a jumper in the paint. Joey Barker (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) drew a foul of his own, bringing the 'Jackets within one.
• The 'Jackets garnered their first lead off a free throw from Barker at 17-15, which was set up with a layup from Rocco Paulson (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East) and a long ball from Kunelius past the midway point of the half.
• When the Cougars regained the lead, T.J. Moberg (Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park) logged a layup to knot things back at 24-24 before Evan Bennett (Superior, Wis./Superior) hit a shot beyond the arc after a pass from J'Vaun Walker (Rosharon, Texas/Manvel), sitting at 28-24.
• UMM tied things up in the final seconds of play after Pal Dak missed a three, as Thomas Tiernan finished a layup to even things up at 28-28 heading into halftime.
• UWS got up 32-28 early in the second before teams traded points and the lead. At 40-40, the Cougars slowly began to build their lead with help from Pal Dak and Brian LaRoche Jr.
• A midrange jumper from Dak allowed the Cougars to lead by 12 at 56-44 with under nine minutes to go. At this time the 'Jackets got their second wind, utilizing Paulson, Moberg and Kunelius to pace the charge.
• 75 seconds remained in the game and Walker was fouled on the and-one. After executing the three-point play, Superior trailed by one at 65-64. UMM took a three-point lead at 67-64, but Walker sent a feed to Kunelius who drained the game-tying three pointer as time ticked off the scoreboard.
• As extra basketball got underway, Johnson hit a layup to lead 71-69, but the Cougars countered to knot things up. The Yellowjackets were issued a trio of fouls as time dwindled off the scoreboard and UMM took advantage, sinking five-of-six to come away with a 76-71 win.
• Five Yellowjackets ended with double-figures, and Kunelius led with 12. Paulson logged 11 points, while Johnson, Barker and Walker each collected ten.
• The Cougars were led by Dak who engineered 28 points on the afternoon.
• Both squads were rather even in field goal percentage, as the Yellowjackets shot 44.1 percent and the Cougars 45.8.

 
UWS hits the road for two road contests, beginning with a midweek date with Crown College. The opening tip is set for 5:30 p.m. in the Wild Athletic Center.
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