DENVER, Colo. – The Regis University men's basketball team (17-8, 14-5 RMAC) dropped their fifth Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference contest of the season on Saturday night. Colorado Mesa University (19-8, 12-7 RMAC) bested the Rangers 75-71 behind a shooting percentage of 50.8 while RU shot 35.3 percent from the field.
 
How It Happened: Regis scored on their first two offensive possessions with baskets from senior Jarrett Brodbeck and junior Christian Little before the Mavericks scored their first bucket in the second minute of play.
 
Four different players accounted for the Rangers' first-four field goals. Sophomore Tomas Auruskevisius drained a three-pointer before freshman Toni Rocak made an easy lay-in to give RU an early 9-2 edge.
 
Brodbeck scored the next six Regis points with an old fashioned three-point play and a three-point shot. Senior Ryan Beisty kept the three-point plays going with a trey of his own, giving the Rangers a ten-point lead, 18-8.
 
The Mavericks chipped away at their deficit, outscoring RU 12-2 over the next two minutes. Regis managed to create a seven-point spread, but Colorado Mesa would not go away, pulling themselves within one, 34-33, with 3:26 remaining in the half.
 
The Rangers shot just 36.1 percent from the field in the first half while the Mavericks converted on 58.1 percent of their shots, sending the game to halftime knotted at 39 apiece.
 
RU took a 45-39 advantage after scoring the first six-points of the half, but the Mavericks rallied back to tie the game at 48 just before the first media timeout of the half. Colorado Mesa's run continued after the media timeout as they scored 11 unanswered while holding Regis scoreless over a 4:30 span.
 
Brodbeck managed to get end the scoring drought with an unassisted jumper. He scored a three-pointer on the Rangers next trip down the court, cutting their deficit to 55-53. Junior Roberto Vercellino got in the scoring column with four made free-throws to keep RU close, 60-59.
 
Following a Little free-throw, Brodbeck made another three-pointer to give Regis a 64-62 advantage with 5:33 left in the game. The game was tied at 66 with 3:43 to play but the Mavericks scored the next five points.
 
Beisty was able to cut the deficit to three, 73-70, but it was too little, too late as the Rangers fell 75-71.
 
Game Notes: Brodbeck (10-22, 4-14 3PT) led the game with 25-points while Little (3-12, 0-2 3PT) was the only other RU player in double digits with 14.
 
Little recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 total rebounds, all coming off the defensive board. Vercellino also added 10 rebounds with four on the offensive end. Regis out-rebounded the Mavericks 40-36.
 
Up Next for the Rangers: The Regis University men's basketball team will embark on their final regular season, weekend road-trip next weekend. They will be in St. George, Utah to take on Dixie State University at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, February 22.