By Con Marshall
The Chadron State College men’s basketball team led 38-28 at halftime, but managed only 22 points in the second half and were edged 63-60 Wednesday night by Colorado Christian in Lakewood.
Apparently because he was ill, the Eagles played without guard Bryce Latimer, their floor leader and top scorer at 18.8 points a game. Several other regulars scored below their averages and the visitors came up short.
After the officials studied the video for several minutes to determine which team should have possession after the ball was knocked out of bounds, the Eagles had a chance to send the game into overtime. But a 3-point volley at the buzzer did not connect.
             Chadron State got a boost from 6-foot-9 John Jenkins, who had missed the last three games because of a knee problem. He was in the starting lineup, played 26 minutes and scored a team-high 16 points.Â
Guard Jalen Patterson replaced Latimer as the primary point guard and made five of his eight field goal attempts while scoring 13 points. He also had four assists and just two turnovers.
But no other CSC player had more than seven points. Overall, the Eagles shot just 38.6% (22-57) from the field.
Although never ahead by more than six points, Colorado Christian led during the first 10 minutes of the game. The Eagles outscored the hosts 12-6 during the last five minutes of the half to build their 10-point halftime lead.
The Cougars took the lead for keeps at 56-54 on a pair of free throws by freshman Bradley Land with 6:45 left on the clock. Christian’s biggest margin was five points. Patterson’s jumper with 1:55 remaining cut the Cougars’ lead to 61-60. Forty-three seconds later, Christian’s junior guard Noah Kon drove for a layup that provided the final three-point margin.
Senior guard Jacob Everson led the Cougars with 17 points, Kon finished with 13 and Land 12. The hosts shot 41.7% (25-60) from the field. They are now 9-12 overall and 5-10 in the RMAC.
The Eagles are 11-10 for the season and 8-7 in the conference. They will play Western Colorado in Gunnison on Friday night.
Chadron State—John Jenkins 16, Jalen Patterson 12, Josh Robinson 7, Raul Nunez 6, Julio Phipps 4, Porter Anderson 4, Martin Poznanovic 4, Jarrett Taylor 3, Dalton Peterson 3. Totals: 22-57 (4-19) 12-15 60 points, 34 rebounds, 10 turnovers, 8 assists.
Colorado Christian—Jacob Eversen 17, Noah Kon 13, Brad Land 12, Schafer Retchart 6, Nic Zeil 4, Robert McWard 4, Chris Barnes 4, Shay Woodberry 3. Totals: 25-60 (5-23) 8-12 63 points, 41 rebounds, 12 turnovers, 8 assists
Chadron State 38 22 —-60
Colorado Christian 28 35 —-63
3-pointers: CSC–Jenkins 2, Patterson 1, Peterson 1. CCU—Everson 3, McWard 1, Woodberry 1