MADISON, Wis. - The Rockford University men's basketball team (0-1) dropped its season opener 77-72 on the road Saturday afternoon to the Edgewood College Eagles (3-2). The Regents trailed by as many as 13 points midway through the second half, before pulling back within two on multiple occasions, with the latter coming after a Nick Phillips triple with 25 seconds remaining. However, the Eagles made three of their final four free throw attempts and held off the Regents for the victory. Both teams shot the ball extremely well in a game in which offense was front and center for much of the afternoon. The Regents connected on 47.4% (27-57) of their shot attempts, including shooting a blistering 48.3% (14-29) from beyond the arc. Unfortunately, the Eagles connected on 57.4% (31-54) of their field goals and outscored the Regents 46-26 on points in the paint. 

• The early portion of the game consisted of a quick run for both the Regents and Eagles. Rockford scored the first five points of the afternoon, led by three from Kivontay Shaw and two from Brandon Emerick. However, the Eagles promptly went on a 17-3 run, including scoring the next 12 points, to leap out to a 17-8 lead at the 10:25 mark. 
• Edgewood would push its lead to as many as 11 points before Rockford used an 8-2 run to pull back within five. De'marius Bonds and Ashton Singleton bookended the run with a pair triples, as Rockford now trailed 25-20 with 5:12 left in the first half. 
• However, it was the Eagles who closed the half strong, taking a 36-25 lead into the intermission. 
• Edgewood's lead hovered around 10 points for the vast majority of the second half, until Rockford made one final push with just over four minutes remaining. The Regents outscored the Eagles 10-2 over the next 1:42, to make it a 68-66 game with 2:33 left. Brandon Emerick jump-started the run with his third triple of the day, and Nick Phillips connected on a rare four-point play.
• However, the Eagles responded with four straight points to extend their lead back to six at the 1:10 mark. 
• Rockford would answer right back with a 6-2 run of its own, using a pair of three-pointers from Kevin Diemer and Nick Phillips on back-to-back possessions. Unfortunately, the Regents were unable to get any closer, as the Eagles sealed the 77-72 win at the free throw line over the final 25 seconds of the game. 

• De'marius Bonds scored a team-high 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting. He also added 2 rebounds and 2 assists. 
• Brandon Emerick added 11 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal.
• Nick Phillips finished with 10 points, 2 assists and 1 rebound. 
• Kevin Diemer chipped in 9 points.
• Ashton Singleton added 8 points and a team-high 6 assists off the bench.
• Micah Swanson contributed 8 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists off the bench.  

The RU men's basketball team continues its three-game road trip to open the season next Thursday against Loras College. Tip-off is set for 7:00 PM in Dubuque, Iowa.