ST. GEORGE, Utah – In a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) matchup, with tournament seeding implications on the line, the Regis University men's basketball team (17-9, 14-6 RMAC) dropped a pivotal game to the Dixie State University Trailblazers (16-8, 14-6 RMAC) 73-89. Regis was outscored 32-47 in the second half.
 
How It Happened: The Rangers' defense allowed just three buckets in the first six minutes of play, setting the stage for an 18-6 RU lead. Regis began the game shooting 1-for-4 offensively but were able to create separation as they converted on six of their next eight shots. Their 12-point advantage was their largest of the game.
 
The Rangers' offense stalled, making zero of their seven shot attempts over the next four minutes. Within that time frame, the Trailblazers went on a 5-0 scoring run to cut their deficit to 18-11. With 10 minutes left to play in the first half, sophomore Tomas Auruskevicius made a jumper to take the lid off the RU bucket.
 
Senior Jarrett Brodbeck later connected on a three-point shot to give Regis a ten-point edge, 23-13. Sophomore Brian Dawson got to the foul-line where he knocked down back-to-back free-throws, securing a 31-23 Ranger lead with five minutes left in the first.
 
The Trailblazers outscored RU 19-10 in the last five minutes of the half to take a 41-42 halftime lead. Dixie State continued their momentum into the second half where they opened the first-five minutes with a 13-0 run to extend their lead to 41-55.
 
There was 15:04 remaining in the half before junior Christian Little was able to find the basket for Regis. The next two Ranger baskets came from three-point land off the hands of senior Jarrett Brodbeck and Auruskevicius, respectively. Their three-pointers cut the RU deficit to ten, 49-59.
 
Regis trailed by 10, 51-61, with 12 minutes left to play, but the Trailblazers outscored them 9-2 over the next two minutes to extend their lead to 53-70. The Rangers trailed by as many as 17, 57-74, with 7:54 on the clock.
 
Freshman Toni Rocak took over the RU offense, scoring 16 of their final 22 points. However, Regis was unable to create any chance for a comeback, ultimately falling short, 73-89.
 
Game Notes: Freshman Toni Rocak (7-11, 6-12 FT) lead the team with a season and career-high 20-points. He scored 16-points in the final 12 minutes of play.
 
Brodbeck (6-16, 4-11 3PT) added 18 points while seven other Rangers scored single digits. Brodbeck also accounted for a game-high five assists.
 
RU shot just 35.8 percent from the floor compared to 50.8 percent for the Trailblazers.
 
Regis was outworked on the glass as the Trailblazers outrebounded them 37-49. Little led the Rangers with seven boards while senior Ryan Beisty and junior Roberto Vercellino added six apiece.  
 
Up Next for the Rangers: The Regis University men's basketball team will play their final regular season road game in Salt Lake City, Utah tomorrow, February 23 at 7:30 p.m.