ST. PAUL, Minn.-- The opening round of the 2025-26 UMAC Men’s Basketball Tournament took place on Wednesday night as four teams competed in a pair of semifinal contests. The No. 2 seed Minnesota Morris and No. 4 Bethany Lutheran won its games to advance to the championship.

SEMIFINAL #1: No. 4 Bethany Lutheran def. No. 1 North Central 92-78
| Box Score |
North Central opened the first four and a half minutes of the game on a 15-9 run. Bethany Lutheran battled back and tied the game 21 all with 12:51 to play. The lead would change hands three more times until a layup from the Vikings’ Brady Ingersoll gave BLC the advantage for good at 30-27 with 6:49 to go.

Five Vikings finished in double digits as Max Briggs scored 26, Ingersoll had 18, Jack Brockmann had 14, Will Walter scored 12, and Elliot Whitney finished with 10.

Three Rams scored in double figures as Remy Wedgeworth-Brown had 28, Josh Hoffman had 17, and Jax Effertz had 13.

SEMIFINAL #2: #2 Minnesota Morris def. #3 Crown 85-79
| Box Score |
The final game featured a tale of two halves as Crown led 43-33 at halftime, and Minnesota Morris used a 52-point second half to claim the win and advance in the tournament.

A trey from the Cougars’ Kaden Pieper with 3:27 to play helped them reclaim the lead.

Carvin Fish and Pieper finished in double figures with 42 and 20 points, respectively. Matt Thompson led the team on the glass with 10 rebounds.

Three Polars scored in double digits as Anthony Knight had 21 points, Parker Behne had 20, and Tyler Smith finished with 11.

UP NEXT
Minnesota Morris and Bethany Lutheran will battle for the UMAC Championship title and the automatic bid to the NCAA DIII national tournament on Saturday, Feb. 28 in Morris, Minn. at 4:30 p.m.

SCHEDULE
• Semifinals: Wednesday, February 25
     - #4 Bethany Lutheran def #1 North Central 92-78
        Box Score 
    - #2 Minnesota Morris def #3 Crown 85-79
        Box Score
        
• Championship: Saturday, February 28
    - 2 p.m. | #4 Bethany Lutheran at #2 Minnesota Morris
         Live Video | Live Stats

TICKETS
• $15 | Adults
• $10 | Seniors
• $10 | College Students
• $10 | Youth (Ages 6-18)
• Free | Ages 5 and Under
• Free | Any UMAC students, faculty, and staff with a valid and current institutional ID.
    • No other passes will be accepted.