LISLE, Ill. - The Rockford University men's basketball team (7-7, 5-4 NACC) fell 79-61 on the road Wednesday evening at Benedictine University (11-3, 7-2 NACC). It was a difficult day for the Regents, as they dug themselves into an early hole and were never quite able to recover. Benedictine shot a blistering 50.0% from the floor, including 41.4% from three-point range. The Eagles' hot-shooting allowed them to jump out to a quick 20-7 lead, after knocking down five three-pointers over the first 7:21 of the game. Rockford was able to get back within eight on several occasions, but unfortunately, Benedictine pulled away down the stretch to secure the win.

• The game got off to a tough start, as Benedictine scored 20 of the first 27 points to take an early double-digit lead. The Eagles would build their advantage up to as many as 19 points, before Rockford began to mount its comeback.
• Rockford used an 8-0 run over the next 2:19 to pull back within 11 points, at 28-17. Four different Regents scored over that span, led by three points from Ashton Singleton. 
• The Eagles would again extend their lead to as many as 16 points, before Rockford cut that lead in half. 
• With 3:21 remaining in the first half and Benedictine holding a 36-20 lead, Rockford promptly scored 10 of the next 12 points to make it just an eight-point game. Jamar Rivera spearheaded the Rockford attack with four points, along with three points each from Brandon Emerick and Randy Stegenga. 
• The BenU lead hovered around eight until the Eagles hit a shot in the closing seconds, to take a 42-32 advantage into the break.
• The second half got off to a decent start, with Rockford cutting the Eagle lead back down to single-digits at 44-35. Brandon Emerick sparked the offense with one of his three triples to cut the BenU lead back down to nine points.
• Unfortunately, that is as close as Rockford would get for the remainder of the game. The Eagles quickly scored the six points to regain control. Benedictine would push its lead to as many as 20 points before ultimately winning by a final score of 79-61.

• Jamar Rivera finished with a team-high 16 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals.
• Nathaniel Shead added 12 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal. 
• Brandon Emerick tallied 11 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.
• Randy Stegenga had 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal. 

The RU men's basketball team returns home on Saturday, January 18 to face Dominican University. Tip-off is set for 2:00 PM in the Seaver Center.