DUBUQUE, Iowa - The Regents (0-2) nearly completed a comeback for the ages on Thursday night at the Loras College Duhawks (2-1). Rockford trailed by as many as 34 points with 15:28 remaining in the second half, before cutting the deficit to single-digits with 5:14 remaining. The Regents were able to get as close as six on multiple occasions, but unfortunately fell by a final score of 97-90. It was a tale of two halves for the Regents. Rockford outscored Loras 60-40 and shot 54.1% from the floor in the second half, compared to being outscored 57-30 and shooting just 34.5% over the opening twenty minutes. Ultimately the difference in the game came down to rebounding and second chance points. The Duhawks outrebounded the Regents 44-24, which led to a decisive 21-8 edge in second change points for Loras.
- Rockford once again got off to a fast start, connecting on its first two shot attempts and taking a quick 5-0 lead. De'Marius Bonds opened the game with a layup and on the very next possession, assisted on a Kivontay Shaw triple.
- Unfortunately, things quickly went downhill for the Regents. Loras promptly went on a 19-5 run over the next 5:23 to grab a 19-10 advantage.
- The Duhawks would extend their lead to as many as 27 points, entering the break leading 57-30.
- Despite the large halftime deficit, the Regents continued to fight and made things very interesting over the final twenty minutes.
- Loras built its lead up to a game-high 34 points at the 15:28 mark, before Rockford began to chip away at the lead.
- The Regents would outscore the Duhawks 29-10 over the next 7:03 and pull back within 15 points, with 8:25 remaining. Seven different Regents scored over that span, led by six points apiece from Nick Phillips, Brandon Emerick and Ashton Singleton.
- The Loras lead would hover around 16 points for the next couple minutes, until Rockford scored on six straight possessions to make it just a six-point game. The Regents outscored the Duhawks 12-2 over that span, led by four points apiece from Kevin Diemer and De'Marius Bonds and three from Vincent Eugene.
- The Duhawks extended their lead back into double-figures, but Rockford would not go into the night quietly. The Regents again made it a six-point game at both the 3:50 mark following Nick Phillips' sixth triple of the day and at the 1:04 mark after a Vincent Eugene layup.
- Unfortunately, Rockford was unable to get any closer and the valiant comeback attempt would fall just short.
- Nick Phillips led the Regents with a season-high 21 points. Phillips connected on a game-high 7 three-pointers on 7-of-13 shooting from beyond the arc. His seven triples were just three off the single-game school record set back in 2010 by Taylor Stinson.
- Kevin Diemer had his best game of the season on Thursday. Diemer finished with 17 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block.
- Kivontay Shaw added 10 points and 2 rebounds.
- Micah Swanson tallied 10 points and 3 rebounds off the bench.
- Ashton Singleton and De'Marius Bonds each chipped in 9 points.
The RU men's basketball team concludes its three-game road trip on Sunday, January 31 at Nebraska Wesleyan University. Tip-off is set for 2:00 PM.