By: Paxton Ritchie
CSC Sports Information Director
LAKEWOOD, Colo. – A second-half rally fell short as the Chadron State men's basketball team fell on the road to Colorado Christian 86-80 on Thursday night despite five Eagles scoring in double figures.
CCU's Pierce Bazil exploded for 36 points on 11 of 16 shooting, including an 8 of 12 night from three-point range, while his brother Porter Bazil grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds to lift the Cougars (10-11, 5-8 RMAC) to their second win of the season over the Eagles (5-16, 3-10 RMAC).
The Eagles trailed by nine at the half, but after CCU scored a three-pointer for the first basket after halftime 15 seconds into the second period, the Cougars led by as many as 23 and were up by double digits until there was only 1:48 left to go.
The Eagles hit shots down the stretch and cut the lead to as small as four in the final seconds, but Colorado Christian made its pressure free throws (9-for-10 in the final minute) to keep enough distance ahead.
Isaiah Randolph led a balanced CSC attack with 20 points, shooting 8-for-13 from the field. Zach Smith had a standout game, as CSC's only returning player from 2024-25 set NCAA career-highs in points (19), minutes (37), and steals (five) while tying a season-high with four assists.
Three different Eagles finished with 11 points each – Mack Keighran, Blessing Adesipe and Jackson Schauer. Schauer and Smith each hit three three-pointers while Keighran, Adesipe and Ethan Russell sunk two apiece.
Randolph and Adesipe shared the team lead with five rebounds while Randolph and Smith shared the team high with four assists.
The Eagles shot 45.9 percent from the field and 46 percent from three but left some points available at the line with a 63.2 percentage (12-19). Colorado Christian shot 48 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from three. Both teams made 12 threes in the game, but the Eagles did so on 26 attempts while the Cougars took 32.
Colorado Christian outrebounded Chadron State 34-23, including eight offensive rebounds. The Cougars also got to the line at a much higher clip, attempting 34 free throws and making 24. The Eagles did win the turnover battle, committing 10 turnovers but forcing 13 Cougar giveaways.
Chadron State heads to Pueblo this Saturday to face CSU Pueblo (14-7, 8-5 RMAC) at 1 p.m. at Massari Arena. The ThunderWolves defeated Black Hills State 71-53 in a statement victory on Thursday.
Chadron State—Isaiah Randolph 20, Zach Smith 19, Blessing Adesipe 11, Mack Keighran 11, Jackson Schauer 11, Ethan Russell 6, Jadon Cool 2. Totals: 28-61 FG (12-26 3PT) 12-19 FT. 80 points, 23 rebounds, 13 assists, 10 turnovers.