Box Score LAKEWOOD, Colo. – December 2 marked the opening of the conference schedule for the Regis University men's basketball team. Regis (6-1, 0-1 RMAC) paid a visit to the Colorado Christian University Cougars (4-3, 1-0 RMAC) on Friday night, falling just short 83-81 in the final seconds.
The first half was a back and forth shootout as both teams shot well from the field. With nine minutes left in the opening half, CCU led 22-21 before a three-pointer from the Cougars' Ty McGee gave CCU a 25-21 lead.
After battling back to bring the score within a single point, a layup from Rangers' sophomore
Jarrett Brodbeck gave the visitors a 38-37 lead. As the clock ticked away, the score was deadlocked at 44 with 44 seconds to go.
The Cougars collected a steal and drove down the court and capped off the transition play with a dunk as time expired to give the home team a 46-44 advantage heading into halftime.
As the teams opened the second half, much of the same continued. The hot shooting continued for CCU as they extended their lead to four points, 52-48 early on.
It was not until the 15-minute mark that RU took their first lead of the second half, 55-54, coming on a jumper from junior
Dexter Sienko. A layup from sophomore
Ryan Beisty extended the lead, and Sienko followed with another jumper to put Regis ahead 59-54 with 14 minutes to go.
Junior
Kevin Metoyer gave the Rangers their largest lead of the game, 73-66, with a layup, a foul, and the ensuing free-throw.
With the time dwindling, freshman
Christian Little made a layup as he blew by his defender with under two minutes on the clock. Unfortunately, those were the last points that RU would score.
A three-pointer from the home team tied the game at 81, and with ten seconds left, the Cougars were trapped on the baseline, but found a way to find a cutter who layed the ball up and in for a 83-81 lead. A missed shot from Regis on the next possession ended the game, and gave Regis their first loss of the year.
Brodbeck finished the night with 20 total points, Sienko added 18, with Little (12) and Beisty (11) combining for 22. Despite their effort on the offensive end, leading the second-chance points tally 25-0, the Rangers fell two points short at the end.
Moving forward in their conference schedule, the men's basketball team will clash with the Orediggers on the campus of the Colorado School of Mines (5-1, 0-0 RMAC) tomorrow night, December 3, at 7 p.m.
