PUEBLO, Colo. – The Regis University men's basketball team (15-5, 9-5 RMAC) shook off a rough second half to beat the Colorado State University – Pueblo ThunderWolves (10-11, 7-8 RMAC) 64-63 in a nail biter on Saturday night.  
 
How It Happened: One night after knocking down 83.3 percent of their foul shots, Regis struggled to get their free-throws to fall in the final minute of the game. The Rangers had a solid opening half as they picked up where they left off last night, shooting 17-30 from the floor leading to a 42-26 advantage at halftime.
 
The second half was a much different story. RU made only eight shots in the second half, scoring only 22 points. Regis could not get any shots to fall after the halftime break going 8-of-27 from the field including 1-for-8 from beyond the arc. Fortunately for the Rangers, their defense did not sputter. Four players recorded one block in the second half, with three registering at least one steal apiece.
 
After a big layup from senior Ty McGee at the 3:28 mark, RU gripped onto a four-point lead, 64-60. Regis would go scoreless for the remainder of the game. After a layup, CSU-Pueblo had four opportunities to tie the game in the final 1:51 of the game. Junior Avonte Nelms came up with a huge steal forcing the ThunderWolves to intentionally foul. A missed free throw on the front end of a 1-and-1 by the Rangers gave the ball right back to the home team. CSU-Pueblo was fouled with 11 seconds on the clock, but only made one of two foul shots. The ThunderWolves intentionally fouled to send RU back to the line with 10 seconds to go.
 
Another missed free-throw on the front end of a 1-and-1 gave the ThunderWolves one last chance. On the left side of the floor with time winding down, Will Newman pump-faked once, but senior Dexter Sienko (eight points, 2-7 FG) did not bite, contesting his jumper and blocking the shot just before the clock expired. The ball fell to the floor and Regis escaped with the 64-63, one-point victory.
 
Game Notes: McGee (3 REB, 2 AST) led all Rangers with 15 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field. Junior Jarrett Brodbeck (5-13 FG, 2-9 3-Pt, 2 REB, 1 AST) added 12, and Nelms (4-6 FG, 2-4 3-Pt, 5 REB, 2 STL) was the only other RU player in double-figures with 10 points. Sienko and Beisty each grabbed a team-high seven boards as Little and Sienko chipped in with a team-high three assists. Niether team shot particularly well (RU- 43.9%, CSU-P 40.4%) but the ThunderWolves outrebounded Regis 38-34 on the night.

Up Next for the Rangers: The men's team will be on the road again next weekend as they keep it local with rematches against the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers on Friday, February 2, followed by a game against the Colorado Christian University Cougars the next night.