DURANGO, Colo. – The Regis University men's basketball team (25-5) took down the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers (22-8) 89-83 in the semifinal round of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Tournament.
 
How It Happened: Regis held a two-point lead at halftime, 40-38, despite shooting only 42.9 percent from the field. Junior Jarrett Brodbeck carried the team with 14 points in the opening period, knocking down three shots from beyond the arc.
 
In the second half, junior Avonte Nelms stretched the lead to 53-46 for the Rangers as he drilled a three-point basket at the 16:56 mark.
 
As the Orediggers were making their attempt at a comeback, senior Ty McGee picked up a massive block on a shot in the middle of the lane, that led to a fast break opportunity. Freshman Brian Dawson lobbed the pass to McGee who threw down the alley-oop dunk, giving RU their biggest lead of the game, 76-68, with 5:30 left in the game.
 
Mines cut the lead to one-point on a number of occasions down the stretch, but Regis never allowed them to take the lead. A jumper from the Orediggers with 34 seconds on the clock cut the Rangers' lead to two-points, 85-83. Mines chose not to foul on defense and that led to another alley-oop dunk from a cutting McGee on the baseline.
 
The dunk put RU ahead by four with less than ten seconds on the clock, essentially locking up the semifinal win. Brodbeck sealed the deal with two more free-throws, advancing the Blue and Gold to their first-ever appearance in the RMAC Tournament Championship game with the 89-83 win.
 
Game Notes: Brodbeck (7-16 FG, 5-9 3-pt, 7-8 FT) led all scorers with 26 points in the game. McGee (7-14 FG, 7-11 FT) added 21 points, four rebounds, two blocks and a steal while sophomore Christian Little (7-12 FG) netted 14 points, grabbed six boards and dished out a game-high five assists.
 
The Orediggers outshot Regis 52.6-48.4 percent from the floor, but the Rangers protected the ball better than they have all season, committing only five turnovers on the night.
 
Up Next for the Rangers: The men's basketball team will advance to the RMAC Tournament Championship game tomorrow night at 7 p.m. They will play the winner of the No. 1 seed Fort Lewis College and No. 4 Adams State University.