RIVER FOREST, Ill. - The RU men's basketball team (9-6, 3-5 NACC) dropped its fourth straight road game on Wednesday evening, 96-87 to the Dominican University Stars (2-15, 1-10 NACC). The Regents again dug themselves into an early hole that they were unable to recover from, despite a Herculean effort in the second half. Dominican led for nearly 37 minutes in the game, with its largest lead (17) coming with 2:57 left in the first half. The Regents were able to claw themselves all the way back to within three points late in the second half, but unfortunately, it was not meant to be, as Dominican quickly pushed its lead back to double-digits en route to the win. The key to game was simply Dominican's ability to knock down shots both from the field and the free throw line. The Stars shot 52.5% (32-of-61) from the floor and 86.2% from the free throw line (25-of-29), compared to 42.3% (30-of-71) shooting from the floor and 67.9% (19-of-28) from the free throw line for the Regents. 

• The game actually got off to a great start with Rockford jumping out to a quick 7-2 lead less than two minutes in. Brandon Emerick opened the game with five straight points and then Jaden Bell capped off the Regent run with a made layup. 
• However, Dominican answered right back with an 8-0 run of its own to grab its first lead of the evening at 10-7. 
• The Stars would steadily increase their lead up to as many as 17 points with 2:57 remaining in the first half. 
• Rockford then closed the half on 7-3 spurt to make it a 42-29 game heading into the break. Brandon Emerick and Charles Burnell each had three points over that span. 
• The early portion of the second half went back and forth, as the Regents and Stars traded baskets for the first six or seven minutes. 
• With 13:38 remaining in regulation and Dominican still holding a ten-point lead, the Regents scored five straight points over a 48 second span to make it a 60-55 game. Jaden Bell got things started with his first triple of the game, and then Lacey capped off the run with a made layup, to pull Rockford back within five for the first time since the 13:40 mark in the first half.
• Unfortunately, the Stars answered right back with six straight points of their own over a span of 1:15 and pushed their lead back to double-digits. 
• With Dominican now leading by 12 and less than ten minutes left in the game, Rockford used an 11-2 run to make it just a three-point game with 6:52 left. Four different Regents scored during the run led by four from TJ Lacey. 
• However, as has been the case for the entire game, Dominican responded with a 9-2 run of its own to once again make it a ten-point Star lead. 
• Rockford would make one final push over the final 2 minutes, as the Regents used an 8-1 run to pull back within five. 
• Unfortunately, it was not meant to be, as the Stars outscored the Regents 8-4 to close the game and seal the 96-87 victory.

• DJ Bonds finished with a team-high 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 assist off the bench. 
• Charles Burnell added 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including 2-for-4 from three-point range. He also had 2 rebounds and 2 assists. 
• Brandon Emerick tallied 15 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. 
• TJ Lacey narrowly missed out on a triple double with 14 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals. 
• Jaden Bell had 11 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals and 1 assist. 

The RU men's basketball team will play its first home game in over three weeks on Saturday, January 29 when the Regents host Wisconsin Lutheran College. Tip-off is set for 4:15 PM in the Seaver Center.