Colo. Sch. of Mines CSM 11-3,5-1 RMAC

Regis (CO) Regis 7-6,4-3 RMAC

Colo. Sch. of Mines CSM

11-3,5-1 RMAC

Final

Jan. 04, 2024

Regis (CO) Regis

7-6,4-3 RMAC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Colo. Sch. of Mines CSM	54	39	93
Regis (CO) Regis	38	41	79

Summary
Box Score

Billy Saunders, Regis Athletics

Redshirt junior Eddy Egun scored a career-high 24 points in Thursday's loss to (RV) Mines.

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | Jan 04 | David Wilson, Assistant AD-Communications

Egun drops career-high 24, but Rangers fall to (RV) Mines in non-conference bout

DENVER, Colo. — The Regis University men's basketball team closed out its opening week of 2024 on Thursday, falling by a 93-79 final in a non-conference matchup against nearby rivals (RV) Colorado School of Mines inside the Regis Field House.

It was a tale of two halves for the Rangers (7-6 overall, 4-3 RMAC), who struggled out of the gates defensively in the first half, but won the final 20 minutes, 41-39, against the high-powered Orediggers (11-3 overall, 5-1 RMAC).

"They (Orediggers) did a really good job coming out with a burst of energy to begin the game and we struggled in a variety of ways, especially on the defensive boards, in the first half. But then I thought our guys adjusted as the game went on," said Regis head men's basketball coach, Brady Bergeson. "We did a better job cleaning up some of the details that Mines took advantage of and that's why things evened out as the game went along. But we dug ourselves too big of a hole."

HOW IT HAPPENED
Colorado School of Mines opened the evening on an 8-0 run and led by as many as 21 points in the first half behind an offensive unit that shot a blistering 63 percent (22-for-35) through the game's opening 20 minutes.

The Orediggers' efficiency was aided by six offensive rebounds and a fast-paced attack that was able to neutralize the Rangers' full-court pressure.

"Give credit to Mines because they are a good offensive team. But I also didn't think we were very disciplined, defensively, in the first half and it took us awhile to reel that back in," Bergeson said.

Mines would enjoy a 54-38 lead at the break, with the Rangers able to keep within striking distance thanks to a solid offensive performance of their own in the first half where they shot 41.3% (12-for-29) including an 8-for-14 (57%) mark from 3-point range.

In the second half, Regis would not go away quietly as the team inched all the way back to within 11 at 63-52 following a strong finish in the lane by sophomore guard Chase Mayo Harmon with 11:46 remaining that forced an Orediggers' timeout.

"We've got competitors in this group and they weren't just going to lay down after the first half. I know they were frustrated, but they continued to fight hard and I'm proud of them for that," Bergeson said. "We know we still need to be more consistent and more disciplined. But them showing this kind of fight to the end tells me we're going to get there and get to a point where we can beat really good teams."

Unfortunately for the Rangers, Colorado School of Mines was able to regroup following the timeout to respond with a 14-4 run of its own that pushed the deficit back to 21 at 77-56 with 6:48 remaining.

Regis would be unable to inch any closer than 14 points the rest of the way as the Orediggers held on for the 93-79 final.

Redshirt junior guard Eddy Egun led all Rangers with a career-high 24 points on 7-for-14 shooting, which also included another career-high in made 3-pointers (5-for-7).

Egun was joined in double-figures by Mayo Harmon with 17 points, as well as the guard tandem of Ty Cox and Trey Bryant with 10 points apiece.

Junior guard CJ Reed would add eight points on 2-of-3 shooting, as well, to help pace a Regis offense that shot 43.8% (28-for-64) from the floor and 13-for-25 (52%) from 3-point distance on the night.

"A lot of good things did happen tonight, offensively, that I think got overshadowed a little bit by the frustration on the other side of the ball," Bergeson said. "Eddy played with tremendous confidence and was a huge lift for us and a bunch of other guys contributed and hit big shots to help keep us in the game."

GAME NOTES

Both teams took care of the ball Thursday as Mines and Regis finished with just nine turnovers apiece.
Mines guard Majok Deng led all scorers with 25 points.
The Orediggers cooled off to 46.7% shooting in the second half and finished the evening at 55.4% (36-for-65).
Egun added to her career night with a team-high six rebounds from the guard position.

UP NEXT
The Rangers will resume their homestand, and resume RMAC conference play, next weekend when they host Adams State (7 p.m. Friday) and No. 10 ranked Fort Lewis College (5 p.m. Saturday).

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