ROCKFORD, Ill.- The Rockford University men's basketball 2014-2015 season did not go as planned. There were a lot of ups and downs throughout the season and the season saw a changing of the guard. But despite the various struggles throughout the season, the Regents battled to the end of every game. Wednesday night against the visiting Benedictine University Eagles was no different. Tonight's game was special as it was the final game for Rockford's lone senior, who played for the Regents for four years. Mario Hicks (Orlando, Fla.) played in 51 total games in his Rockford career and his three-pointer two minutes into the game gave Rockford its first points of the game and set the tone for the Regents for the first half.
Benedictine did lead Rockford for much of the first half, but Hick's three-pointer brought the crowd and the Regents bench to life after a slow start. A layup by Trae Blumhorst (Mendota, Ill.) at the 12:24 mark tied the game up at 20. Rockford went up 34-33 and took its first lead in the game after a made jump shot by John O'Bryan (Richmond, Ky.) with 5:14 left in the first half. A three-pointer by Michael Murray (Princeton, Ill.) with 1:16 left in the first half put Rockford up 45-41 and was the final scoring of the half.
Much of the second half was a back-and-forth affair, with Benedictine taking the lead and then Rockford coming back and taking the lead right back. A layup with 2:42 left in the game by Zach Wallace (Rockford, Ill.) put Rockford up 76-74. But the Eagles answered with a 8-2 run to go up 82-76 with just 1:33 left in the game. With under a minute left and still down, Rockford was forced to foul the Eagles and hope for missed free throws. Three times Rockford got within two points in the last 23 seconds of the game, but they could not finish the comeback and fell to Benedictine 90-86.
Murray had game high and career high 31 points on 11-of-16 shooting. He added in 13 rebounds, two assists, and four steals. Also in double-digit scoring was Blumhorst with 13 and O'Bryan with 18 off of the bench. Blumhorst had two rebounds, two blocks, and five assists. O'Bryan finished with a rebound, four assists, and two steals. Wallace contributed six points and seven rebounds.
