Con Marshall
CHADRON, Neb. – Zy Wright matched an NCAA career high for the third time with 24 points and Jalen Thomas added a season-high 23, but Chadron State men’s basketball absorbed a 76-70 loss to the Regis Rangers of Denver on Saturday night.
Both Chadron State and Regis are now 6-8 for the season overall, but the Rangers improved to 4-2 in the conference while the Eagles are 2-4.
For the second game in a row while playing at home, free throw shooting by the opposition played a big role. The Eagles outscored the Rangers 56 to 47 in points from the field, but Regis was 29-for-31 at the charity stripe, including 21-for-23 in the second half, while Chadron State was 14-for-17 for the game. The situation had been similar two days earlier, when Colorado School of Mines went 22-for-23 at the line and the Eagles just 5-for-8.
Saturday’s game was fast-paced, stubbornly contested and close all the way. The score was tied nine times and there were 13 lead changes, 10 of them in the second half. Regis led by a single point—34-33—at halftime.
The Rangers took eight-point leads three times in the second half, but the Eagles battled back. Chadron State climbed to within three points at 73-70 on guard Jalen Thomas’s driving layup with 63 seconds remaining, but didn’t score again.
Wright and Thomas were the game’s leading scorers. Wright was 8-of-15, making two three-pointers, and went 6 of 7 at the line. Thomas was 10 of 15 from the field and sank all three of his free shots. John Jenkins added nine points for CSC and also grabbed nine rebounds to lead everyone in that category.
The Rangers’ top scorers were Trey Bryant with 20 points and Eddy Egun with 16. Two more Rangers, Kobe Sanders and Chase Mayo Harmon, added 11 points apiece.
For the game, the Eagles were 26 of 55 from the field for 47.3 percent and Regis was 19 of 48 for 39.6 percent. However, the Rangers were 9 of 26 from 3-point range while Chadron State was 4 of 14 from behind the arc. Each team claimed 29 rebounds apiece and both teams turned the ball over 11 times.
The Eagles will hit the road this coming week, playing at Adams State on Thursday, Jan. 16 at New Mexico Highlands on Saturday, Jan. 18. Their next home dates will be Jan. 23 and 25 against Westminster and Colorado Mesa, respectively.