MEQUON, Wis. - The Rockford University men's basketball team suffered its second straight heartbreaking loss on Saturday. Just days after losing in the final seconds to Concordia Chicago, Rockford fell at Concordia Wisconsin in a game it controlled for much of the afternoon. Rockford led by as many as 10 points in the first half and did not trail until 10:09 mark in the second half. The Regents also held the Falcons to just 2-of-15 shooting from beyond the arc while knocking down 7 triples of their own. However, it was once again the free throw line that proved to be the Achilles heel for the Regents. Rockford shot just 51.7% from the charity stripe missing 14 free throws as it fell 79-74 on the road.
Both teams got off to fast starts as the Regents and Falcons combined to go 6-of-9 from the floor in the opening minutes of the game. However it was Rockford who would seize control for the time being as the Regents then went on a 13-4 run over the next 7 minutes to take its largest lead of the day. Junior Kenny Parks (Mascoutah, Ill.) got the Regents started draining back-to-back three-pointers. Brandon Tyson (Joliet, Ill.) then capped off the run with a layup putting Rockford in front 20-10. The Falcons spent the remainder of the half chipping away at the Rockford lead as the Regents entered the intermission with a 35-31 advantage.
The second half did not go as well for the Regents as their hot first half shooting tapered off in the closing thirty minutes of the game. Rockford shot just 36.6% from the field and 28.6% from the three-point line in the second half compared to 45.8% and 55.6% respectively in the first half. After falling behind for the first time all day at the 10:09 mark, the Regents were able to regain the lead with 5:30 remaining courtesy of a Brandon Tyson jumper. However, that turned out to be short lived as the Falcons quickly took back the lead on its very next possession and did not relinquish it for the remainder of the game en route to the 79-74 win.
Junior Brandon Tyson played an excellent game off the bench for Rockford on Saturday. Tyson led the Regents with a season-high 19 points on 9-of-14 shooting and 6 rebounds.
John O'Bryan (Richmond, Ky.), Zach Wallace (Rockford, Ill.) and Kenny Parks each also scored in double-figures. O'Bryan scored 18 points and dished out 5 assists. Parks chipped in 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc and grabbed 7 rebounds. Wallace added 13 points with 6 rebound and 3 blocks.
The men's basketball team returns to the court on Wednesday, January 7 at Lakeland College. Tip-off is at 7:00 p.m.
