MORRIS, Minn. - Bethany men's basketball is going dancing for the fourth consecutive season.
Brady Ingersoll's floating jumper as time expired gave the Vikings a 76-75 win over UM-Morris in the UMAC playoff championship game. Bethany will find out who and where it will open the 2026 NCAA Division III tournament during the selection show at noon Monday.
Jack Brockmann gave the Vikings the early lead with a fastbreak layup followed by a dunk to start the game, but the Cougars went on a 13-4 run midway through the half to gain a 26-16 advantage with 7:25 left. Morris then gained its largest lead of 12 points with 16 seconds on the clock, but a three by Ingersoll on the final possession of the first made the score 41-32 at the break.
Morris had a double digit lead for a majority of the first 10 minutes of the second half before the Vikings put together 13 consecutive points to gain a 65-63 lead with 6:02 remaining. A three by Kaden Butler tied the game and then Ingersoll gave the Vikings the lead with a jumper on the next possession.
The lead swapped three more times in the ensuing four minutes as Morris hit a three with 1:52 on the clock to go up 71-69. With 45 seconds left, the Cougars hit a fadeaway jumper off the glass to go up five, putting all the pressure on the Vikings. Ingersoll was fouled on the other end and made the first free throw, but the second missed and Brockmann came down with a clutch offensive rebound. He then made one of two from the charity stripe to make it a three-point game.
Morris missed a free throw on the other end and the Vikings had an opportunity to tie the game, but missed three shots from beyond the arc. Bethany was able to recover three offensive rebounds to keep the game alive and on the third, Hudsen Jenniges made a put-back layup, making it a one-point game with seven seconds.
The Cougars were immediately fouled and sent to the line, but missed the one-and-one shot. Jenniges came down with the rebound and Ingersoll did the rest, sinking the floating jumper in the lane as time expired.
Ingersoll was named tournament MVP for his efforts, finishing the game with 15 points, three rebounds, and a steal. Brockmann led the offense with 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting, including 11 rebounds, six assists, four steals, and a block. Jenniges chipped in 17 points and 12 boards off the bench.
Bethany shot 43.9 percent and made just 11-of-23 from the line. Morris had the edge in rebounds 43-41.
