MILWAUKEE, Wis. - The Regents men's basketball team (9-5) concluded a remarkable season on Saturday night in the NACC Tournament Championship Game at Wisconsin Lutheran College (11-3). Rockford battled to the very end of the game, as the Regents have done all season long, despite being down by 14 points just over five minutes in. The Regents would finally take their first lead of the evening with 7:25 left in the second half. The game was extremely tight the rest of the way, but unfortunately, Rockford came up short, falling 78-71. Statistically the game was basically a dead heat in almost every category. However, the Warriors had an edge in two key areas that ultimately made the difference. The Warriors shot 36.4% (8-22) from three-point range, compared to just 17.2% (5-29) for Rockford. Wisconsin Lutheran also made 18 free throws, compared to only 10 for the Regents.
- The Warriors opened the game on fire, scoring 22 points in the first 5:08 and jumping out to an early 22-8 lead. Drew Bernhagen capped off the Warrior run with 9 straight points on back-to-back-to-back triples.
- Wisconsin Lutheran maintained a double-digit lead until late in the first half.
- Rockford used a 7-0 run of its own to make it just a 6-point game at the 5:55 mark. Brandon Emerick scored five of the seven points, including the Regents' first made three of the evening to end the run.
- The Regents were unable to get any closer in the first half as the Warriors took a 34-27 lead into the break.
- Rockford seemed to find its rhythm in the opening moments of the second half. The Regents opened with a 5-2 run to cut the Warrior lead down to just four points at 36-32.
- However, the Warriors responded with a 9-2 run of their own and extended the lead back to double-digits at 45-34.
- With the Warriors still holding a 49-39 advantage, Rockford began to mount another fierce comeback. The Regents scored 10 of the next 12 points and made it just a one-possession game for the first time since Wisconsin Lutheran led 2-0. Micah Swanson and Ashton Singleton each scored five points over that span.
- Wisconsin Lutheran would build its lead back up to six, before the Regents used a 9-2 run to take their first lead of the game. Three different Regents scored during the run, capped off by four straight points from Vincent Eugene.
- The Regents and Warriors battled back-and-forth over the next several minutes, with Rockford's final lead of the night coming after a bucket from Kivontay Shaw at the 5:25 mark.
- Wisconsin Lutheran would eventually take a 5-point lead with only 1:44 left in the game.
- However, the Regents would not go down without a fight. Kevin Diemer hit back-to-back free throws to once again make it a one-possession game at 74-71 with less than a minute remaining.
- Rockford was able to force a stop on the defensive end of the floor on the very next possession and give itself one final chance to tie the game.
- Unfortunately, Rockford's three-point attempt came up empty, and the Warriors sealed the win with a fast break dunk on the other end of the floor.
- Micah Swanson had a career-day for the Regents on Saturday. Swanson finished with a career-high 17 points and 9 rebounds in just 20 minutes of play off the bench.
- Ashton Singleton scored 13 points and made 3 of his 6 three-point attempts. He also added 3 assists.
- De'Marius Bonds scored 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting.
- Vincent Eugene finished with 9 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
- Brandon Emerick added 9 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal.
- Kevin Diemer finished with 8 points, a game-high 14 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block and 1 assist. Diemer also became just the 17th RU men's basketball player to record 500 rebounds in his career.
"While we are disappointed with the result of tonight's game, I could not be more proud of a group of guys," Head Coach Jeremy Reigle stated. "They are not only great basketball players but also incredible young men. We feel very blessed and fortunate to have had the chance to compete this season and are thankful to all of the people that made this possible. Go Regents!"
While the year did not end the way we all wanted it to, it truly was one of the most memorable seasons in recent memory. Below is a list of just some of the accomplishments from this past season.
- Team Accomplishments
- First ever NACC Regular Season South Division Championship.
- No. 1 Seed in the NACC South Division Tournament.
- First ever NACC South Division Tournament Title.
- First ever trip to the NACC Tournament Championship Game.
- Rockford won multiple games in the NACC Tournament for the first time in program history.
- Rockford finished the regular season with the best winning percentage in the NACC (0.75).
- Rockford ties the NACC Tournament single-game record with 26 assists.
- Five NACC South Division Players of the Week
- Two D3hoops.com Team of the Week selections
- Individual Milestones and Records
