ROCKFORD, Ill. - The Rockford University men's basketball team started off the 2022-23 season with a bang, trouncing the Minnesota Morris Cougars 87-52. Rockford dominated out of the gate, running up the score to 30-4 halfway through the first half. Minnesota Morris never held a lead in the game, allowing the Regents to cruise to victory at the final horn.
Micah Swanson and
Kevin Diemer led the offense, scoring 19 and 18, respectively, while Diemer also grabbed 13 rebounds to complete his double-double.
- The contest started with a 7-4 score line, but quickly got out of hand after. A 24-0 run over an 8:30 span for the Regents picked apart the Cougars defense and put Rockford far ahead at 30-4. The top scorers Kevin Diemer and Micah Swanson scored 11 and 6, respectively, leading the offensive charge.
- Minnesota Morris finally put points on the board after a nine-and-a-half-minute drought, but RU kept scoring more, getting an additional 11 points after. A trio of three pointers from Zac Centers, Ashton Singleton, and Mateo Fernandez Solari contributed to the run.
- While down big, Minnesota Morris finally got a run going on offense to conclude the half, taking advantage of a 15-5 run in the last five minutes of the first half. Micah Swanson made sure the Regents didn't go into the break empty-handed, scoring all five of the Rockford points, including a spectacular put-back dunk at the 2:38 mark.
- The Cougars carried the momentum into halftime, but the Regents were up big, 46-22.
- It was a very balanced start after the first three minutes in the second half, each side grabbing six points, including four for Rockford from leading-scorer Micah Swanson.
- The RU offense caught fire again after the 6-6 draw, taking over another 11-2 run. Zac Centers and Ashton Singleton hit two threes back-to-back during the run, only increasing the lead more.
- With the lead firmly in hand, Rockford was able to rotate players for the final 12 minutes of play, leading to eight different Regents scoring in that time span.
- Isiah Jackson hit one final jumper with 30 seconds remaining, and after a failed Cougar possession, Rockford ran out the clock and secured a 1-0 start to the team's season.
- Kevin Diemer registered a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds.
- Micah Swanson led in scoring with 19, he also had 8 rebounds.
- Zac Centers led the charge from beyond the arc, hitting a team-high 5 threes equaling 15 points on the night.
- Charles Burnell and Daelyn Franklin tied for the team-high in assists (4) and steals (2).
- Noody Lacey had 6 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists.
