ST. BONIFACIUS, Minn. --- Crown Men's Basketball successfully avenged their 2018 playoff loss to UM-Morris on Wednesday, as they opened their conference season besting the Cougars 96-78. Crown was up only a single point 71-70 with eight minutes remaining but played stifling defense during that last stretch, ending the game on a 25-8 run. 

The Storm had three players that cracked 20 points in the contest, with junior forward Timothy Wendel the high-point man. Wendel scored 24 points on 9/17 shooting from the field, including making 40% of his three-point attempts. Wendel had a great day in all facets of the game, with 11 rebounds (six offensive), four assists, four steals, and a block. Sophomore forward Christian Moore had a strong first half that led him to 22 (10/14) points in the game, and senior guard Keegan Oyugi scored 20 (9/14) points. Moore added seven rebounds as he started his first game of the 18-19 season, and Oyugi passed for seven assists in the contest.  

"We practiced really hard and we've been chasing this for a while. The team stuck to together and to the gameplan," said the senior Oyugi. "We are on the hunt now. Conference season just started and we're really really excited." 

Crown had a great day offensively, shooting over 40% from three-point range and over 50% from the field. The Storm held the Cougars to 42% from the field and 28% from beyond the arc. 

The Storm host UW-Stout on Friday at the Wild Athletic Center at 7 pm before heading to Luther on Saturday.