NEW ULM, Minn. - The Rockford University men's basketball team won a thriller 83-80 to open the 2024-25 season at Martin Luther College. Although Rockford led for nearly the entire game, 34:40 for RU and 4:10 for MLC, the game ultimately came down to the final play. The Knights had the ball with six seconds left and a chance to send it to overtime, but their three-point attempt rattled out at the buzzer. Statistically, the game was basically dead even in almost every category. Rockford's two biggest advantages came in bench points (32-10) and points in the paint (38-28). Conversely, Martin Luther shot seven more free throws and held a five-point edge at the line. The win gives Rockford its ninth straight victory over Martin Luther dating all the way back to 1967.

• Rockford opened the game strong and did not trail in the first half. 
• The Regents used an 8-0 run capped off by a Noody Lacey layup to take a 23-9 lead with 12:07 left in the first half. 
• The Knights were able to trim the deficit all the way down to just three points with 97 seconds remaining before halftime. 
• Rockford's Daeshawn Jackson pushed it back up to six with triple, as Rockford took a 41-35 advantage into the break.
• Although the Knights actually outshot the Regents over the opening 20 minutes (48.1% to 47.1%), Rockford knocked down six three-pointers compared to just two for Martin Luther. 
• Rockford again came out hot to start the second half. The Regents opened on a 7-0 run, capped off by a Donovan Grunloh three, over a span of 1:17 to extend their lead back up to a game-high 13 points with 18:10 remaining. 
• With Rockford still leading by 10 and a little over 12 minutes left, the Knights used an 11-3 run of their own to pull back within two at 63-61. 
• The Knights further trimmed the Regent advantage down to a single point, before taking their first lead of the game at 66-65 with 6:49 left. 
• Martin Luther pushed its lead up to as many as three points on three occasions, with the latter coming at the 2:45 mark. 
• Immediately following that, Rockford scored the next six points, four of them by Micah Swanson, to retake the lead. 
• With the Regents still clinging to a three-point advantage and only six seconds left, Martin Luther's Benjamin Pearson's three-point attempt at the buzzer rattled in and out to give Rockford the 63-60 victory.

• Tre Miller led the Regents with a career-high 19 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal.
• Micah Swanson posted a double-double with 13 points, a game-high 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. 
• Cooper Jackson added 19 points on 7-10 shooting, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks in just 18 minutes off the bench. 
• Jaden Bell finished with 10 points, 4 rebounds and a steal. 

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