FOND DU LAC, Wis. - The Rockford University men's basketball team (10-10, 8-7 NACC) earned a huge 88-77 road win on Tuesday night over Marian University (3-17, 2-13 NACC). The win moved Rockford into a three-way tie for fourth place in the NACC and gave the Regents a two-game lead over the seventh place team in the conference. Rockford had one of its best nights on both ends of the floor this season. The Regents shot 51.6% from the floor, 45.8% from three-point range and 84.6% at the free throw line. It was the first time all season Rockford shot 50% from the floor, 45% from beyond the arc and 80% at the free throw line. Defensively, the Regents forced 22 turnovers and turned them into 29 points. Conversely, Marian scored just 15 points off 16 turnovers. 

• Rockford opened with an 11-3 run over the first five minutes of the game. Brandon Emerick led the Regent attack with five points, followed by four from Jamar Rivera.
• The Regents would push their lead to as many as nine, following a Brandon Emerick triple with 14:18 remaining in the first half. 
• However, Marian would score the next seven points to pull back within two at 14-12. 
• With Rockford holding a 16-12 lead, Marian used a 9-0 run to take their first lead of the game. 
• The Sabres led by as many as six points with 4:23 left in the opening half before Rockford closed the period strong. 
• After Rockford had cut the deficit to five, Addison Bode and Ashton Singleton hit back-to-back triples to put the Regents back in front 33-32. 
• The two schools would trade buckets for the remainder of the half. Justen Kidd was able to drain a pair of free throws with three seconds left, to give Rockford a 40-39 halftime lead.
• Rockford then took control of the game in the second half and never trailed over the final 20 minutes. 
• With the Regents leading by three in the opening moments, Rockford scored five straight points to make it a 52-44 advantage. 
• After a Marian triple and an RU timeout, the Regents scored the next six points to extend their lead to double-digits for the first time in the game.
• However, Marian would not go away easily. The Sabres promptly went on a 7-0 run of their own, to pull back within four at 58-54.
• Rockford answered right back with back-to-back threes from Brandon Emerick and Addison Bode to make it a ten-point game.
• This back-and-forth affair continued until Rockford was able to put the game out of reach over the final four minutes.
• Rockford used yet another 8-0 spurt to take a 12-point lead with 3:34 remaining.
• The Sabres were never able to get any closer than eight the remainder of the way, as Rockford cruised to an 88-77 win. 

• Nathaniel Shead had a huge game off the bench for Rockford. Shead finished with a game-high 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting. He also added 1 rebound, 1 assist and 1 block. 
• Jamar Rivera added 12 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 assist. 
• Brandon Emerick finished with 19 points, including going 5-of-9 from three-point range. He also added 6 steals, 2 assists, 2 rebounds and 1 block. Emerick now leads the NACC by a wide margin with 72 made three-pointers and 69 steals. He is also within reach of breaking a pair of school records. Emerick needs just 13 steals and 29 made threes over the remainder of the year to break both RU single-season records. Emerick has also already tied the RU single-game steals record twice, with 8 steals against both Marian and Concordia Wisconsin earlier in the year.

The RU men's basketball team returns home on Saturday, February 8 against Benedictine. Tip-off is set for 2 PM in the Seaver Center.