DENVER, Colo. -  On Friday night, the Regis University men's basketball team (8-14, 6-10 RMAC) hosted the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers (16-6, 11-5 RMAC) and after a hard fought game, fell just short 72-80.

In the first three minutes of the game, Regis found themselves in a 6-2 hole, but four straight points from freshman Jarrett Brodbeck tied the game at six. CSM responded with a 7-2 run to give them a 15-9 cushion before the Rangers called timeout. 

RU fought back once again and a three-pointer from senior Billy Hansen knotted the game at 15 apiece. The Orediggers extended their lead to 11 points with four minutes remaining in the half. Two free throws from CSM sent the teams into the locker rooms with the Orediggers on top, 40-31. 

As they have done for much of this year, Regis came out strong in the second half looking to show CSM that they meant business, closing the gap to six at the 15-minute mark. Once again, the Orediggers responded with another big run, putting them up 62-49 late in the second half. A jump shot from Brodbeck gave the Rangers life, closing the deficit to seven with under two minutes left.

Hansen gathered a pass and took a shot, nailing one of his six three-pointers and drawing a foul. Hansen connected on the ensuing free-throw making it a four-point play and cutting the CSM lead back to seven. Unfortunately, that is as close as RU would come to the Orediggers for the rest of the game as they were able to knock down their late game free-throws. 

On the night, four different players scored in double-figures for Regis including Hansen who led the team with 19. Senior Kevin Marshall scored 15 points, Brodbeck added 14, and junior Noah King chipped in with 11 points and a game-high seven assists. Freshman Ryan Beisty claimed a team-high seven rebounds, including three on the offensive glass. The Rangers shot 37.3 percent from the field, and made 11 three-pointers on the night. RU scored 18 points off turnovers and limited CSM to only two points in the same category. Regis allowed the Orediggers to score 40 points in the paint, and their bench outscored the Rangers 32-17.

The men's basketball team will return to the Regis Fieldhouse tomorrow night as the Colorado Christian University Cougars (12-10, 8-8 RMAC) make a visit at 7 p.m.