Cal Poly Humboldt HSU 2-3,1-0 CCAA

Regis (CO) Regis 3-2,0-0 RMAC

Cal Poly Humboldt HSU

2-3,1-0 CCAA

Final

Nov. 25, 2022

Regis (CO) Regis

3-2,0-0 RMAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Cal Poly Humboldt HSU	38	34	72
Regis (CO) Regis	34	45	79

Summary
Box Score

Billy Saunders, Regis Athletics

Regis senior Aaron Bokol (#2) finished with 16 points and a career-high 17 rebounds in Friday's win.

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | Nov 25 | David Wilson, Assistant AD-Communications

Second-half run lifts Rangers to 79-72 win over Cal Poly Humboldt to open Thanksgiving Classic

DENVER, Colo. — The Regis University men's basketball team opened its annual Thanksgiving Classic on Friday, leaning on its defense in the second half to top Cal Poly Humboldt, 79-72, in fast paced and gritty non-conference clash.

Regis (3-2 overall) had five different players finish in double-figures Friday, led by graduate student guard David Simental with 19 points. And despite shooting a modest 39 percent (27-for-68), the Rangers were able to edge the visiting Lumberjacks (2-3 overall) as they were limited to just 35 percent shooting (24-for-69) on the evening.

"Tonight, I thought it felt a little sluggish. We were slow getting out of the gates and offense was hard for both teams. Points were hard to come by," said Regis head men's basketball coach, Brady Bergeson. "There was a grinding feel to the game and I was proud of our guys because we were able to bear down, grind out 3-4 stops in a row twice during that second half. That's how we were able to grow a lead we were able to hold on to."

HOW IT HAPPENED: Cal Poly Humboldt came out of the gates strong, pushing the pace and owning a 38-34 lead through the game's opening 20 minutes.

The Lumberjacks, paced by a game-high 25 points from guard Jaden Edwards, would lead by as many as five points as late as 8:56 in the second half before the Rangers' flipped the script.

Trailing 58-53, the Rangers responded with a 13-2 run over the next 3:45 of game time to take a 66-60 lead following a pair of free throws by senior stretch forward Aaron Bokol. The Regis defense got five stops on six of the Lumberjacks possessions during that run and had six of their 13 points come on easy baskets in transition.

"The easy baskets were pretty hard to come by. We got a couple steals where we had some run outs and easy baskets. (Cal Poly) tried to press and we went over and attacked it quicker," Bergeson said. "Those plays really helped because, when you shoot 39 percent, when you get a layup on a runout it's like a cold drink of water when you need it. Those were the catalysts for our run."

The Rangers would never trail again over the final 5:15 as they kept Cal Poly at a jabbers' distance, knocking down 7-of-8 free throws in the final 90 seconds to put a stamp on the 79-72 final.

Bokol continued his sensational start to the 2022-23 season with his third straight double-double on Friday. He set season highs in points (16) and rebounds (17) while adding two assists and two steals in his 35 minutes. The 17 rebounds were also a career-high for the 6'5 winger, who is currently averaging an RMAC best 12.6 rebounds per contest; the seventh best per game mark among all Division II players.

"Bokol is doing just about everything for us right now. He's playing like a veteran, seasoned senior, which he is. He's the one guy when you look out there who has been in our group for four years and there's not a battle he hasn't been a part of yet," Bergeson said. "I think there are times in games where he is really putting the team on his back, flashing the flashlight and showing them where to go. He's been huge in the early going for us."

Joining Simental and Bokol in double-figures Friday was redshirt junior guard Eddy Egun with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, as well as the post duo of sophomore Brayden Carter and graduate student Jas Singh with 10 points apiece.

The 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting were a season-high for Singh, who also finished a team-best +22 in his 21 minutes.

"Jas was really good in a lot of subtle ways. He stepped in where he needed to, played his role and took the right shots," Bergeson said of the Singh, who is in his fifth game with Regis since transferring in from Simon Fraser. "He's coming off a season-ending injury he suffered last year. It has taken him some time to get back, but I think his fitness level arrived at a level where now he's starting to get some real confidence and can go for extended minutes."

GAME NOTES

Regis finished with a 42-38 edge in points in the paint
Regis won the turnover battle, 15-10
Cal Poly Humboldt had a 26-18 advantage in bench points
The game featured 13 ties and 14 lead changes
Vojin Mastilovic lead Regis with two blocks in his seven minutes off the bench

UP NEXT: The Rangers conclude the Thanksgiving Classic with a 6 p.m. matchup Saturday against the University of Sioux Falls (4-2 overall) out of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).

"They are really tough and I like the way they play. There's a lot of movement with them, offensively, and they play off each other well," Bergeson said of the Cougars. "They'll be a really tough matchup for us in terms of being able to sit and guard multiple actions. It'll be a very different style of game than we faced tonight and we're looking forward to that challenge."

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