DURANGO, Colo. – After a lengthy break from on-court action, the Regis University men's basketball team (10-3, 4-3 RMAC) was back in action as they traveled to Fort Lewis College to take on the Skyhawks (11-2, 7-1 RMAC). After a grueling battle, the Rangers dropped the game 79-89 despite a late game comeback attempt.
 
How It Happened: Despite going 7-for-12 in the first eight minutes of the game, Regis found themselves down 20-19 early on. Senior Dexter Sienko led all scorers at the second media timeout with seven points on 3-for-4 shooting from the field.
 
The home side stretched their lead to five points, 28-23, at the 9:59 mark, but senior Ty McGee splashed his second three-pointer from the corner cutting the deficit to a manageable two points at 26-28. McGee followed that up with a drive to the basket, finishing with the bucket and drawing a foul. He would go on to miss his shot from the charity stripe, but he tied the game at 28 points apiece with his layup.
 
After a few scoreless possessions, the Rangers were forced to call a 30-second timeout when FLC took their largest lead of the opening half 40-32. The lead would reach as many as ten-points for the Skyhawks, but RU would not go away. Two free-throws from sophomore Christian Little with 22 seconds to go brought the score to 44-50, and that is the score line that remained as the teams went into halftime.
 
After halftime, Regis put together a few solid offensive and defensive exchanges capped off by a three-pointer from junior Jarrett Brodbeck to cut the lead to three-points at 49-52. The home squad answered with a big run of their own eventually leading to a 12-point advantage for the Skyhawks with 13:33 on the clock.
 
FLC continued to put their foot on the gas as they wore into the Rangers defense. With just under four minutes left, RU trailed by 15 points and had very little spark to their game. Brodbeck nailed a three-point jumper and followed up with a layup to bring Regis within ten points, 84-74. After getting the ball back, Sienko drew a foul down low and converted both foul shots bringing the deficit to single digits once again. Back-to-back missed shots for RU put the game in jeopardy after two great defensive sequences.
 
In the end, Regis put themselves in position to beat a very good team, but they were unable to overcome their poor second-half shooting. The Rangers were beaten 89-79 on the road.
 
Game Notes: The team was held to 37.9 percent shooting, their second-worst of the season, while FLC went 32-of-65 from the floor for a 49.2 field goal percentage. Sienko (4-10 FG) finished with a team-high 17 points and two blocks. Brodbeck (15 PTS, 6-16 FG), Little (14 PTS, 4-12 FG) and McGee (13 PTS, 5-11 FG) were the only other Rangers in double-digits. Junior Ryan Beisty (3-6 FG) added eight points and had a team-high ten rebounds, missing a double-double by just two points.
 
Up Next for the Rangers: The men's basketball team will host their next two home games after playing their last six games on the road. The first game is scheduled with the Western State Colorado University Mountaineers on January 5 at 7 p.m. The following night the team will go toe-to-toe with the Colorado Mesa University Mavericks at 7 p.m.