DENVER, Colo. – The Regis University men's basketball (2-3, 0-0 RMAC) team put together a great effort, but the Pittsburg State University Gorillas (4-1, 0-0 MIAA) used a huge run in the second half to give Regis their first home loss of the season. 

The highly contested first half saw the Rangers fight on both ends of the floor. Sophomore Dexter Sienko scored 13 of his team high 14 points in the first half going 6-9 from the field. Junior guard Noah King chipped in eight points and hit both of his shots from beyond the arc. With four minutes remaining in the first half, a three-pointer from King put Regis ahead 29-22. A 5-0 run from PSU cut the lead to two a minute later. Heading into halftime the Gorillas led RU 39-36.

Coming out of halftime a jump shot from King and a free throw from Sienko tied the game at 39. PSU would hunker down and pick up the defense six minutes into the second half. The Gorillas forced a few Regis turnovers and capitalized on their chances. A 9-0 run from PSU put the Gorillas ahead 58-47 with twelve minutes remaining in the game.

Regis chipped away and traded baskets with the Gorillas down the stretch. Unfortunately, it was too late to bring the Rangers back into contention. A tale of two halves proved costly for RU as they shot 57.7 percent from the field including 5-9 from three-point land in the opening half of play. In the second half, Regis shot 9-25 (36 percent) from the field and a lackluster 25 percent from beyond the arc. PSU shot a very efficient 92.9 percent from the free throw line (13-14) while the Rangers struggles from the charity stripe continued, shooting 42 percent (6-14). The Gorillas forced 15 RU turnovers which led to 25 points for PSU. Freshman Ryan Beisty tracked down a game-high nine rebounds and also contributed 11 points on 4-7 shooting. Senior Kevin Marshall dished out five assists to lead both teams.

The men's basketball team will look to bounce back tomorrow night as they host Southwest Minnesota State University at 5 p.m. at the Regis Fieldhouse.