Regis controls tempo, scores upset over UCCS

COLORADO SPRINGS- In a game of tempo, slow-down Regis came out on top.

Behind an all-star performance by Nick Winder, the Rangers frustrated the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs 71-65 Tuesday night at the Lions'
 Den. The senior from Orem, Utah, had 15 points, eight rebounds, seven blocked shots and five steals.

From the beginning of the game Regis put the brakes on the up-tempo Mountain Lions with a deliberate offense and clutch-and-grab defense. Frustrated, UCCS, which came into the game shooting a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference-best 52.8 percent from the field, was held to a meager 41.5 percent.

On the other end, Regis could do no wrong. The Rangers (7-12, 2-10 RMAC) shot 57.4 percent from the field with Brandon Butler making 8-of-11 for a game-high 23 points. Butler, a 59.4 percent free throw shooter, even went 7-for-7 from the line.

Patrick Hannaway led UCCS (14-6, 7-5 RMAC) with 20 points and seven rebounds. Bly McGuire added 16 points, while Kyle Perkins, Nic Fuller and Joe Scott each had eight.

Regis never trailed. The Rangers opened the game 7-0 and built the lead to as many as 16 in the first half. Behind five points by McGuire, the Mountain Lions closed with an 11-2 run that cut the deficit to 40-33 at the half.

A tip-in by Bryan Snyder with 1:03 remaining gave the Mountain Lions their best chance at 67-62. After Geremy Gibson, who had 17 points, missed two free throws, UCCS had a chance to cut it to two but Fuller's 3-point attempt missed. Winder made 4-of-6 free throws in the final 30 seconds to keep UCCS at arm's length.