ROCKFORD, Ill. - The Rockford University men's basketball team took on the Benedictine University Eagles Tuesday night at the Seaver Center in Rockford. The Eagles came into the game with a 5-9 overall record including a 3-6 record in the NACC, while the Regents record stood at 8-7 overall and 4-6 in conference play. Both teams were looking to return to the win column as Rockford was coming off a loss at first-place Marian University while Benedictine entered Tuesday's contest after a loss to Concordia University Wisconsin.
Rockford shot out the gates quickly and grabbed a 10-4 lead after just four minutes of play thanks in part to four quick points from freshman center Zach Wallace (Rockford, Ill./Belvidere). The Regents continued to hold a four-point advantage midway through the half courtesy of baskets by Ronald Farmer-Blanchard (Chicago, Ill./Thornton) and Marlon Sykes (Chicago, Ill./John Marshall). A couple of possessions later Rockford grabbed a 7-point lead, its largest of the day, following a Phil Andrade (South Chicago Heights, Ill./Bloom Trail) jump shot and a John O'Bryan (Richmond, Ky./Madison Central) three-pointer. However, that lead would be short lived as the Eagles mounted a comeback and took a 23-22 lead at the 4:36 mark. The game then continued its back-and-forth nature as the Regents regained the lead on their very next possession when David Dixon (Bellwood, Ill./St. Joseph) knocked down a jump shot putting his team back up one. However, it would be the Eagles who would close the half strong scoring 11 of the final 17 points to take a 34-30 lead into halftime.
Rockford shot 37% from the floor during the first half including making 3-of-11 three-point attempts. Dixon led the way for the Regents with eight points along with three rebounds. Scott Suchy (Genoa, Ill./Genoa-Kingston) and O'Bryan were close behind with five points apiece. Suchy also had five rebounds and two steals. Andrade added four points and six rebounds.
The second half opened with the Regents quickly eating away at the Eagles lead. Just four minutes into the half, Rockford had chopped the Benedictine lead down to a single point thanks to a bucket by Andrade and four points each from Suchy and Dixon. The Regents would then grab their first lead of the half with exactly 15 minutes remaining when Suchy drained a three-pointer to put his team back on top. However, the Rockford lead did not last long as Benedictine promptly went on a 9-0 run to go ahead 54-47 with 12:10 remaining in the game. For the next eight minutes, the Regents and Eagles battled back and forth with Benedictine's lead never swaying more than three points. During that span the Regents kept themselves in the game at the free throw line connecting on 17-of-19 free throw attempts, with Wallace making four, Farmer-Blanchard knocking down five, and Suchy going a perfect 6-for-6 on his attempts. The Regents were finally able to pull within two points at the 2:25 mark when Dixon tipped in an Andrade missed jump shot to make it a 74-72 game. With the Eagles still clinging to a two-point lead and less than one minute remaining, Benedictine essentially put the game away when it made a long three-pointer with just 22 seconds left to extend the lead back to five. The Eagles then finished the game at the free throw line making all four of their attempts to seal the 86-79 victory.
Dixon led the Regents with 20 points on 9-of-19 shooting and added 8 rebounds. Suchy recorded his first double-double of the season with an 18-point, 10-rebound performance. Wallace and Sykes also scored in double-figures with 10 and 13 points respectively. Wallace also added 7 rebounds and a game-high 3 blocks to round out his stat line. As a team Rockford shot 38% from the field, 18% from beyond the arc and a season high 82% from the line, connecting on 23-of-28 free throw attempts.
Rockford hopes to get back on track as well as avenge a 93-91 home loss on Saturday when the Regents travel to Concordia University Wisconsin. Tip-off for that contest is set for 2:00 p.m.
