Jason Burke-Kavros' Three-Pointer with Nine Seconds Left Propel Rangers to 68-67 Victory Over Fort Lewis

Durango, Colo.: Junior guard Jason Burke-Kavros hit a three-pointer from the top of the key with nine seconds remaining to help the Rangers beat Fort Lewis 68-67 in the opening night of RMAC play.  Regis, who got 30 points from their bench, was able to come from a 38-31 halftime deficit to defeat the Skyhawks for the first time in nine games.

Fort Lewis (6-3, 0-1 RMAC) got off to a quick start and led by as many as 12 in the first half.  Regis (2-5, 1-0 RMAC) were plagued by nine turnovers and a 3-for-8 performance from the free throw line.  Fort Lewis did not help themselves in the first half either, as they went just 4-for-12 from the charity strip and shot just 41.2 percent compared to 51.9 percent for the Rangers.

Fort Lewis held on to a single-digit lead for the first 10 minutes of the second half.  Regis took their first lead of the game at the 8:36 mark after five straight points by junior guard Matt Rosinski.  Regis led by as many as eight points, when at the 4:40 mark, Rosinski completed an old fashioned three-point play.

The Skyhawks then responded with an 8-0 run to tie the game at 63 with just over two minutes remaining.  On the next possession Burke-Kavros got fouled and hit both free throws to take the two-point lead.  Fort Lewis then pulled to within one 32 seconds later as Jordan Brooks hit 1-of-2 from the free throw line.

The Rangers milked the clock and with time running out on the shot clock Rosinski missed a three-pointer to give the ball back to Fort Lewis.  Trent Bowman hit a clutch three-pointer with 36 seconds to put the nearly 1,000 fans in a frenzy.

Fortunatley for the Rangers someone forgot to tell DeAndre Lansdowne that they were ahead; and immediately following the three pointer by Bowman he fouled Rosinski.  Rosinski missed the front end of the 1-and-1, but junior forward Isaiah Johnson worked himself into good position to get the offensive rebound.

After a Regis timeout, the Rangers worked the ball around and with nine seconds remaining Burke-Kavros pulled up from deep and hit nothing but the bottom of the net.  Fort Lewis advanced the ball to midcourt and took two timeouts with 2.8 seconds remaining.  Johnson again came up big when he stole the inbounds pass and the game for the Rangers 68-67.

Rosinski again led the way for Regis with 16 points, while Burke-Kavros came off the bench to pump in 13 and added a game-high six assists.  Junior forward Joseph Odugbela hit 6-of-9 shots for 14 points.  Johnson came off the bench for a game-high nine rebounds and contributed six points.

Regis will travel to Alamosa tomorrow to take on Adams State.  Game time is set for 8 PM and can be viewed courtesy of B2 Networks.

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