DENVER, CO- The Cougars traveled just north up I-25 to take on their nearby rival Regis on Friday evening. The two teams put on a show for the fans, battling to the very last moment as the Rangers pulled out a nail-biting 71-70 victory over CCU with a last-second basket.
Regan LoConte got a strong night started off well with a quick three-pointer, while Maggie Hutka drilled a jumper followed by another from Dasiya Jones as the offense started hot. LoConte out her team up three with another bucket from beyond the arc, and Phipps closed the quarter with a putback as it stood at 16-15 Rangers heading to the second.
LoConte started the second quarter much like the first, connecting on her third three of the game on the team's first possession. Nicole Bowlin then made another three as the Cougars took a 21-18 lead. The Regis defense settled in from there, containing CCU and going on a run of points to take a 30-22 lead to the break.
The Cougars quickly closed the gap with a LoConte layup and a pair of baskets from Victoria Perez to make it a two point affair. A Hutka three kept the deficit at two, and later another LoConte three tied the game yet again. Heading to the fourth quarter, the Rangers held a 53-49 advantage.
The fourth quarter was a thrilling one, but Regis took an early seven-point lead to try and gain distance from the Cougars. Bowlin refused to let that happen as she connected from deep, and she quickly tied things with a jumper with 6:53 to go. The teams battled back and forth, with CCU taking a two point lead on a Jones jumper and Perez layup with 2:35 remaining. The Rangers tied the game up with 23 seconds as the exciting end approached. With a timeout, the Cougars advanced the ball and drew up a play. Jones got off a three with two seconds that missed the mark, but she was fouled in the process to earn a trio of free throws. She connected on the first, but did not make the following two. The Rangers took a timeout and expertly inbounded a long throw towards the basket that was collected and put in for two with a second to go. Perez had a late three rattle out as Regis barely took down CCU 71-70. It was a heartbreaking result for the Cougars, but there were a lot of positives in the battle with the reigning RMAC tournament champs.
LoConte led the offense with 20 points on 6-10 shooting from beyond the arc, while Bowlin and Hutka followed with 16 and 14 points respectively. Jones was strong with 8 points and 8 rebounds, while Perez dished out 5 assists and tallied 5 rebounds and 6 points.
CCU heads south on January 27 for a tilt at UCCS with tipoff slated for 5 p.m. MST.
