CANYON, Tex. –The matchup between the No. 22 ranked Regis University men's basketball team (27-6) and No. 19 ranked University of Texas – Permian Basin (26-6) held true to the definition of March Madness on Sunday evening.
 
In the end it was the Falcons of UTPB that punched their ticket to the Sweet Sixteen, and the finals of the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament, despite trailing by as many as 20 points.
 
How It Happened: Regis held a 55-37 lead at halftime, and with a layup from sophomore Christian Little a minute into the second half the Rangers had a 20-point lead, 57-37, which was their largest of the game.
 
Junior Jarrett Brodbeck shot the lights out, scoring 22 points and going 8-for-9 from the field which included six three-pointers in the first half. The Falcons did not take kindly to the No. 3 seed embarrassing their No. 2 seeded squad, so they spent all of the second half fighting their way back. After a jumper from UTPB with 2:37 left in regulation, it was a one-point contest with RU leading 88-87.
 
Neither team could separate themselves in the final minutes and the teams moved into overtime tied at 89 points each. Regis worked up a three-point lead with a little over a minute left, but the Falcons responded with an and-one layup and free-throw that tied the game at 98 all. The score remained at the end of the period and a second overtime period commenced.
 
UTPB got the first bucket of this period, but freshman Brian Dawson splashed a three-point shot that put the Rangers in front by one. With less than 30 seconds to go, sophomore Christian Little drew a foul that sent the guard to the line trailing by two points, 106-108. He drilled both shots and sent the game into another period of overtime.
 
The third period of overtime featured much of the same as both teams held two-point advantages at times, but senior Dexter Sienko hit a clutch layup with 13 second on the clock to tie the game at 116 apiece. The Falcons had one last attempt, but their three-point heave fell short of the rim.
 
Sienko scored the first two points of the fourth overtime period, but a 6-0 run from UTPB put them in front soon after. Down by five points, Dawson drove to the basket and converted a layup while also drawing a foul. His free-throw cut the deficit to two points, 122-124, with 2:20 left. Back-and-forth baskets brought the score to 124-126 thanks to a layup from Little, but the team still trailed.
 
The Falcons made their next shot to go up four points, and a missed shot from RU with only 44 seconds on the clock put the pressure on Regis. UTPB went to the charity stripe and made 1-of-2 attempts, which gave the Rangers hope trailing by only five points. Back-to-back missed shots on the offensive end for RU all but sealed the deal. The Falcons knocked down another free-throw to extend their lead with 14 seconds on the clock. Regis' effort came up just short in the end, and UTPB advanced to the Sweet Sixteen with a 130-124 quadruple-overtime victory.
 
Game Notes: Brodbeck (12-20 FG, 2 REB) scored a team-high 34 points. He knocked down 10-of-15 attempts from beyond the arc in 57 total minutes on the floor. Sienko (26 PTS, 8-13 FG, 10-12 FT, 12 REB, 8 AST) missed out on a triple-double by two assists, but he recorded team-highs with 12 rebounds and a career-high eight assists. Little (7-17 FG, 10-12 FT) added 24 points, eight rebounds and six assists in the effort. Junior Avonte Nelms (11 PTS, 4-11 FG, 3-9 3-pt, 5 REB, 2 AST) and senior Ty McGee (11 PTS, 3-7 FG, 5-5 FT, 7 REB, 2 AST, 2 BLK) were the only other players in double-figures for the Rangers. Dawson (3-7 FG) and junior Ryan Beisty (3-5 FG, 3-5 3-pt) each added nine points.
 
Up Next for the Rangers: The historical 2017-18 men's basketball season comes to an end in the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament. The team captured the first-ever RMAC Tournament Championship in program history, making their first appearance and earning their first win in the NCAA Tournament since the 1995-96 season, and he their 27 wins this season are the second-most in single-season team history. The future remains very bright for this talented group. They will look to improve on the success they had this season, building on all of the experience they gained in 2017-18.