By: Con Marshall
CSC Sports Information
DENVER – The Chadron State College men's basketball team got its first Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference victory of the season as well as its first win of the New Year on Saturday by squeezing out a 68-66 verdict over the Regis Rangers on Saturday afternoon in Denver.
The Eagles were led by junior guard Jadon Cool with 25 points, 18 of them in the second half, including the team's six points in the final minute to secure the victory.
Chadron State led the entire game, once by 15 points at 30-15 and three times by 14 early in the second half, but were outscored 25-14 in the final eight minutes as Regis cut the lead to a single point late. Despite the rally, the Eagles led by five points before a shot from beyond half court went in at the buzzer for the Rangers to cut the final margin to two.
CSC senior Blessing Adesipe was CSC's only double-figure scorer besides Cool with 10 points, and he also was the game's top rebounder with 10 of them. Senior Zach Smith finished with nine points on three treys, including both the first and last in the opening half.
Luka Djurovic chipped up seven steals and had a team-high three steals alongside Colin Nick, who added six points, four rebounds and a block in addition to three swipes. Chadron State committed just nine turnovers, only CSC's third time this season under 10, while forcing Regis into 14.
With the win, Chadron State improved to 3-11 overall and 1-5 in the RMAC. Regis fell to 1-11 and 0-5.
Chadron State shot just 37.7 percent (23-61) from the field and made only 24.4 percent (8-33) of its three-point shots, but was 14-15 compared to Regis's 7-11 at the free throw line and out-rebounded the Rangers 36-24 while keeping the hosts from grabbing a single offensive rebound.
Meanwhile, the Eagles turned their 14 offensive boards in 15 second-chance points and had a 30-10 advantage in points in the paint. They also had 13 fast break points and limited Regis to three.
Chadron State jumped out to a 13-5 lead after threes from Ethan Russell and Jadon Cool. The visitors led 30-15 after transition baskets from Adesipe and Jackson Schauer and led by 11 points (35-24) at halftime.
The Rangers made it interesting late by knocking down five consecutive three-point shots, adding a free throw and finally cutting the Eagles' lead to 62-61 on a dunk by their leading scorer, Luke Soden, with 1:28 left on the clock.
Neither team scored again until Cool made two free throws with 57 seconds remaining. Soden answered with a pair of foul shots 16 seconds later. When the Eagles took possession again, they ran the clock down 14 seconds before calling a time out. Cool, a junior from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, who led the Eagles in scoring entering the game with a 14.2 average, drove to the hoop for a layup that put Chadron State up by a 66-63 margin with 10 seconds left.
Regis finally missed a three-point shot and the ball went out of bounds. CSC's inbounds pass was to Cool, who was immediately fouled. He again made both free tosses, his eighth and ninth in 10 attempts in the game, giving the visitors a 68-63 edge with three seconds remaining.
The game ended when Gunnar Walters, son of Regis Coach Rex Walters, heaved a volley from the back court that was good as the final buzzer was sounding, but the Eagles had hung on for their two-point triumph.
The final shot was the Rangers' 13th trey in 27 attempts for the game and their eighth in 14 three-point tries in the second half. Overall, they shot 52.5 percent (23-44) from the field, including 63.6 percent (14-22) in the second half.
Soden, a 6-4 freshman, was 5 of 10 from long range and finished with 26 points, one more than Cool for game-high honors. Walters' three treys helped him end with 11 points while Logan Flores-Peoples, one of just two non-starters available for the Rangers, added 10 points.
Cooper Frith, the Rangers' leading scorer for the season with a 16.8 average, scored just seven points before fouling out.
The Eagles will be home this coming weekend to play Adams State the evening of Thursday, Jan. 14 and New Mexico Highlands the afternoon of Saturday, Jan. 16.
Chadron State—Jadon Cool 25, Blessing Adesipe 10, Zach Smith 9, Isaiah Randolph 7, Nick Collins 6, Luka Djorovic 4, Ethan Russell 3, Mack Keighran 2, Jackson Schauer 2. Totals: 23-61 FG, (8-33 3PT), 14-15 FT. 68 points, 36 rebounds, 9 assists, 9 turnovers.