Comeback Bid Falls Short as Regis Men Fall to Western State 75-72

Denver, Colo.: The Regis Ranger men's furious comeback fell short as they were defeated by Western State in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action 75-72.  The Rangers fell behind early and could never recover as they drop their first conference game of the season after two wins last weekend.

Regis (3-6, 2-1 RMAC) fell behind 15-5 in the first eight minutes, tying the game just once and never leading the entire game.  Western State (6-3, 3-0 RMAC) led by as many as 15 points but the Rangers were able to cut the lead to six with just one minute remaining in the first half.  The scoreboard at halftime unfortunately read Western State 33 and Regis 25.

Regis shot just 25.7 percent from the field in the first half but were aided by forcing the Mountaineers into 14 turnovers.

Junior guard Matt Rosinski, who scored 20 of his career-high 26 points in the second half, pulled the Rangers to within two with 7:56 remaining.  It was the closest the Rangers had been since early in the first half.

Regis cut the lead to two on three other occasions but couldn't get over the hill against the RMAC West Divsion leading Mountaineers.  Regis cut the lead to one after two Rosinski free throws with 18 seconds.  Two free throws by Justin Avalos with 16 seconds remaining pushed the lead back to three.

Regis had two attempts at tying the game, but came up short on both attempts and the Mountaineers were able to escape with the 75-72 victory.

Rosinski was joined by three other Rangers in double figures.  Junior guard Jason Burke-Kavros came off the bench to contribute 15 points.   Junior forward Joseph Odugbela and freshman forward Anthony Porch pumped in 11 and 10 points respectively.  Odugbela and Porch each had a team-high six rebounds, while Rosinski had a game-high seven assists.

Regis finished 20-for-28 from the free throw line and forced Western State into 28 turnovers.  The Rangers unfortunately hit only 4-of-16 from long distance while Western State was 11-for-20.  Western State got a game-high 32 points from Cameron Burney.

Regis returns to action tomorrow night as they host Mesa State at 7 p.m. at the Regis Fieldhouse.