DENVER, Colo. - The Regis men's basketball team had a phenomenal season-opener versus South Dakota Mines. The Rangers (1-0) were able to handily defeat the Hardrockers (0-1) on Saturday night. 

How It Happened: Regis came out hot, as the team went on a 9-0 run to start the game, the Hardrockers never led in the matchup. The team was led by senior guard Brian Dawson, who had a team-high 25 points. Will Cranston-Lown had a record breaking night as the sophomore guard set a career-high, scoring 18 points, besting his previous high of 16 points when Regis played St. Mary's (Texas) on Nov. 9 2019. Cranston-Lown was also able to feed his teammates efficiently in the win as he garnered a team-high six assists. RU played scrappy on the defensive end and forced 25 turnovers and 11 steals. Additionally, the Rangers allowed only two Hardrockers to reach double-digit points in the game. Sophomore guard Aaron Bokol led the team in rebounds with six. 

following the win, Head Regis University Men's Basketball Coach, Brady Bergeson, had this to say about the victory, "I really just think it was energy, we had an automatic advantage coming in. These guys played two nights in a row on the road and they played really hard. Our guys were so excited to get out here and finally play a counting game. We brought a ton of energy in the game and I thought we made that a factor with our ball pressure and destruction up the floor."
 
Game Notes: Dawson (10-18 FG, 5-9 3-PT) led the team in scoring with 25 points. Cranston-Lown (8-13 FG, 0-1 3-PT, 2-3 FT) broke his career-high in points with 18 and was second on the team in scoring. He also led the team in assists with six. Bokol (3-3 FG, 2-2 3-PT, 1-3 FT) led the team in rebounding with six boards. The team shot 50 percent from the field and 37 percent from behind the arc. Impressively, Regis held SD Mines to just 38 percent from the field and 14 percent from behind the arc.

Up Next for the Rangers: The Regis University men's basketball team currently has break until action ramps back up with another home match-up versus the Fort Lewis College Skyhawks on December 18 at 8 pm.