Colo. Christian CC 7-12,3-9 RMAC

Regis (CO) Regis 8-9,5-6 RMAC

Colo. Christian CC

7-12,3-9 RMAC

Final

Jan. 20, 2023

Regis (CO) Regis

8-9,5-6 RMAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Colo. Christian CC	37	32	69
Regis (CO) Regis	36	45	81

Summary
Box Score

Billy Saunders, Regis Athletics

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | Jan 20 | David Wilson, Assistant AD-Communications

Reed pours in 19 off the bench, Rangers upend Cougars to close out home stand

DENVER, Colo. — The Regis University men's basketball team capped its three-game home stand Friday with another strong performance, motoring past nearby rival Colorado Christian University, 81-69, inside the Regis Fieldhouse.

Regis (8-9 overall, 5-6 RMAC) outscored the visiting Cougars (7-12 overall, 3-9 RMAC), 45-32, in the second half and vaulted into the eighth and final playoff spot in the RMAC standings as teams begin the latter half of the conference schedule.

"This was a really important win. These games we have right now are going to be teams that we're directly fighting for playoff positioning with," said Regis head men's basketball coach, Brady Bergeson. "League play is difficult and CCU is a tough matchup because they have so much firepower. It was important for us to put a good second half together and find ways to overcome challenges."

HOW IT HAPPENED: After a back-and forth affair in the first half, with the Cougars heading into the halftime locker rooms up one at 37-36, the Rangers started to make their move midway in the second half.

Regis went up double-digits for the first time at 53-43 with 13:42 remaining on a 3-pointer from junior guard CJ Reed, capping a quick 7-0 blitz by the Rangers.

Reed was the second Ranger in double-figures Friday as he poured in a career-high 19 points off the bench 7-for-9 shooting, including a sizzling 4-for-6 mark from 3-point range.

"CJ is a really good player and a really good shooter who had struggled to make shots sometimes this year for whatever reason. We believe in him and it was great to see CJ get going," Bergeson said. "He works so hard that we knew he'd break out at some point."

The visiting Cougars, who were limited to 39 percent (11-for-28) shooting in the second half, would never inch closer than seven points the rest of the way, with the Rangers keeping them at a jabbers' distance en route to the comfortable 81-69 final.

"So much seems to depend for us on blocking out and limiting the opponent to one shot. I thought we did a much better job in the second half doing that," Bergeson said. "CCU is hard to guard with all the ball screens and multiple actions. We did a better job navigating that and holding them to just one shot."

While the Rangers' defense was stifling the Cougars, they complimented that play on the offensive end as Regis finished the night at 53 percent shooting (28-for-53); marking back-to-back games the team has shot over 50 percent from the field and scored 80 or more points.

Regis currently sits 12^th in the RMAC in scoring at 70.3 points per game, but are encouraged by the breakthroughs made the last two trips out.

"We certainly shot the ball well tonight and shared the ball well. I loved the way we played tonight. And this is not to take anything away from that, but I think the real test for us will be doing it several nights in a row," Bergeson said of the Rangers' offense. "We want to build off what we're doing, not take any steps back, and continue to be more consistent."

Graduate student guard David Simental, fresh off his 41-point effort last Saturday against MSU Denver, led all Rangers with 22 points on Friday en route to eclipsing 1,500 career points during his time with CSU Pueblo, Nebraska-Kearney and Regis.

Senior forward Aaron Bokol finished just one point shy of a double-double with nine points and a team-high 11 rebounds, while junior guard Eddy Egun and sophomore forward Brayden Carter chipped in nine points and eight points, respectively.

True freshman guard Chase Mayo Harmon also shined in his 16 minutes off the bench, finishing a team-best plus-18 while scoring seven points and adding three rebound and two assists.

"He gave us great energy and he's figuring out how he can help us win," Bergeson said of Mayo Harmon. "He's really bought in to it, keeping his role really simple. He's a talented kid and really competitive so the future is really bright for him. But right now he's doing what is asked of him and to finish plus-18 is really impressive. He did a lot of subtle things for us that don't always show up on the stat sheet."

UP NEXT: The Rangers conclude their unique weekend with a road trip to Chadron, Nebraska on Saturday to square off against the Eagles (10-8 overall, 7-5 RMAC); a team that defeated Regis, 74-64, in Denver on Jan. 2.
Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. (Mountain Time) on Saturday inside the Chicoine Center.

"It's definitely a different weekend. We're use to being on the road for two games instead of loading up the bus after a home game. But we're excited for the opportunity," Bergeson said. "I think our guys are charged up and feeling good about how they're playing. We didn't feel good about the way we played against Chadron State the first time around and I think we're going to come out with a lot of energy (Saturday)."

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