Rivers buzzer beater defeats the Rangers

The Western Colorado University men's basketball team took down the Regis University Rangers 76-75 on Dec. 14.

The Rangers opened the scoring with an early bucket, but Mountaineer junior Jamel Hollins earned a 3-point play. Western took a 3-2 edge, and then junior Andrew Reichart and senior Spencer Wright contributed buckets to put the Mountaineers up 9-7.

Regis took a brief advantage with 10 minutes left in the half. The Rangers scored back-to-back points, taking a 22-18 lead. Wright started the comeback with a defensive board, and found Trey Anderson behind the arch. The senior splashed the 3-point attempt to pull out in front.

The Mountaineers regained the lead at 28-26 after Anderson and senior Kade Juelfs knocked down threes. Regis responded with a three to tie the game at 28. But then sophomore Tyler Halligan finished around the rim giving Western a 31-29 edge.

With 3 minutes left to play, the Rangers held a 1-point advantage over the Mountaineers. Hollins sank two from the free throw line, maintaining the tug-o-war for the lead. Regis capitalized with a 3-point play just before halftime, and the team entered the locker room leading 37-35.

After the break, Rivers exchanged points with the Rangers to kick off the second half trailing behind. Regis extended its lead to 5 points, until Hollins found Juelfs for a knock down three to squeeze back into the contest at 42-40. A missed Rangers jump shot allowed Western to push down the court. Hollins was hacked by a Ranger, and polished off the free throws to tie the game 42-42.

A driving layup by Rivers awarded Western a 2-point lead. Regis, with consecutive scores, gained a 47-44 edge. But Rivers again equalized with a kickout three.

Late in the game, Regis took a 7-point lead, and the game looked out of reach for the Crimson and Slate. But Anderson and Juelfs knocked down shots to make it a one score game, down by two at 60-58.

With under 3 minutes to play, Anderson hit two shots to give the Mountaineers a 72-70 lead, forcing Regis to call a timeout. After the pause, the Rangers retaliated with a three and two free throws to regain a 3-point advantage.

Rivers stole the ball then finished around the rim with 20 seconds left to trail by a single point. Western called a timeout, and fouled on the resulting Rangers possession. Crucially, Regis missed the free throw, and Western came up with the defensive rebound. Rivers received the ball just outside the paint, faked a pass and curled inside towards the basket.

The senior rolled a layup into the glass. The ball bounced nervously around the rim, and finally sank — resulting in a 76-75 victory for the Mountaineers.

Western will host Northwest Indian College next on Thursday, Dec. 19 at 6 p.m.

(Drew Dunathan is the assistant athletics communications director at Western Colorado University, and can be reached at ddunathan@western.edu.)