by Hayden Mangan
DURANGO, Colo. – While Tru Allen was able to get down the lane and sink the and-one free throw in the final seconds of regulation to force the overtime period, the Fort Lewis men’s basketball team was unable to hold off the Rangers any longer as Regis escaped with a 90-89 victory Saturday night in Whalen Gymnasium on a buzzer-beating tip-in layup from Chase Mayo Harmon as time expired.
Fort Lewis drops its second consecutive game at home to land at 5-5 on the season and 0-2 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play. Regis wins its second straight contest to climb to an even 4-4 and 2-0 in league play.
“The guys fought hard to the end but dug ourselves into a hole once again,” Jordan Mast shared postgame. “We were much more connected in the second half in terms of playing for each other, making rotations, moving the ball, and creating shots for one another. However, we missed some easy opportunities in the post and in transition, and when you add it all up it leads to an ending like tonight.”
The Skyhawks jumped out to an early seven-point lead on a slam from Chuol Deng, but Regis slowly chipped away before snatching the lead at the 11-minute mark on a three-pointer from Eddy Egun. It wasn’t until the tenth lead-change of the opening half that the Rangers began to pull away, turning a 30-29 advantage into an eleven-point lead before FLC cut the deficit to 40-33 heading into the locker room.
Regis stayed hot, stretching its lead to as many as 18 points in the second half with 12 minutes to play. However, the Skyhawks buckled down and chipped away and eventually found themselves within one, 65-64, with five minutes left to play. It took until the final possession when Trey Bryant, who finished with a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double, missed one of two free throws creating an opening for Allen to get out on the wing and drive to the cup for an up-and-under layup and a foul to tie the game.
Kobe Sanders gave the Rangers the opening score of the overtime period, leading to a Regis lead for 4:49 seconds before Biko Johnson earned a trip to the line for three shots with 11 seconds remaining. Johnson sunk all three to go up 89-88, but Mayo Harmon proceeded to airball his trey and tip-in his own rebound for the game-winner.
Jalen Brown scored a game-high 25 points for Regis on 9-of-13 shooting while Mayo Harmon supplied another 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting. The Rangers shot 50.8 percent (31-61) for the game while hitting at a 40.9 percent (9-22) clip from deep. Fort Lewis bounced back from Thursday night’s performance to shoot a combined 43.8 percent (28-64) but still struggled from beyond the arc at 27.8 percent (5-18).
Allen led the Skyhawks with 22 points, one point shy of his career-high while dishing out seven assists, grabbing five rebounds, and making one steal. Biko Johnson scored 19 points, Keither Florence 12 points, and Cassius Carmichael the final 10 points to round out the Skyhawks to finish in double figures.
