Rockford led 53-40 on a three by Dupree Powell (18 points) with just over 14 minutes remaining. However, the Regents proceeded to get themselves in foul trouble and, before the game was over, would see Jacob Dunkel (16 points), Powell, and Seneca Evans all go to the bench with five fouls. Ryan Young and Ryan Ward hit threes to highlight a 15-2 run that tied the game at 55-55 with nine minutes left.
A three-point play by Maurice Smith (game-high 25 points) gave Rockford a 74-69 lead with 1:29 remaining. However, a free throw by Justin Gray got the Cougars within four, and a three by Young from the left wing made it a 74-73 game with 30 seconds to go. A Rockford turnover gave Concordia an opportunity for the lead, and the home team capitalized as Bell was fouled on a lay-up attempt. He sank both free throws to give Concordia the lead at 75-74.
Once again, defensive pressure by the Cougars led to a Regents' turnover, and David Mikrut was fouled with five seconds left. He hit the first for the two-point lead. Dupree Powell rebounded a miss on the second, and he would wind up with a 35-foot game-winning attempt straight-on just before the buzzer. However, the shot hit the front of the rim and bounded away as the home team began to celebrate.
Bell finished with 19 points and seven rebounds, while Gray added 18 points and six boards. Young tallied 14 points, and Bryan Ganek pulled down a game-high nine rebounds.
Newspaper Box Score Rockford College vs Concordia (IL) University 01/18/06 7:30p at River Forest, IL - Geiseman Gymnasium At River Forest, IL - Geiseman Gymnasium CONCORDIA (IL) UNIVERSITY 76, ROCKFORD COLLEGE 74 ROCKFORD COLLEGE (9-8, 0-2 NIIC) Maurice Smith 9-16 2-4 25; Dupree Powell 7-14 2-5 18; Jacob Dunkel 7-10 0-0 16; Seneca Evans 3-10 0-0 7; Allen Young 2-8 1-2 6; Marcin Lemanski 1-1 0-0 2; Eric Meierdirk 0-1 0-0 0; Ryan Soto 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 29-62 5-11 74. CONCORDIA (IL) UNIVERSITY (7-8, 2-1 NIIC) BELL, Lafeyette 7-16 3-7 19; GRAY, Justin 6-9 5-8 18; YOUNG, Ryan 4-7 3-5 14; SMITH, Bobby 3-7 2-3 8; WARD, Ryan 3-5 0-0 8; MIKRUT, David 1-6 3-4 5; GANEK, Bryan 1-4 0-0 2; WLEKLINSKI, Kas 1-4 0-0 2; SPEAKS, Jacob 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-58 16-27 76. Rockford College.............. 38 36 - 74 Concordia (IL) University..... 27 49 - 76 3-point goals-Rockford College 11-27 (Maurice Smith 5-11; Dupree Powell 2-4; Jacob Dunkel 2-3; Seneca Evans 1-4; Allen Young 1-4; Ryan Soto 0-1), Concordia (IL) University 8-24 (YOUNG, Ryan 3-6; BELL, Lafeyette 2-6; WARD, Ryan 2-3; GRAY, Justin 1-3; WLEKLINSKI, Kas 0-2; MIKRUT, David 0-4). Fouled out--Rockford College-Jacob Dunkel; Seneca Evans; Eric Meierdirk, Concordia (IL) University-None. Rebounds-Rockford College 35 (Jacob Dunkel 8; Dupree Powell 8), Concordia (IL) University 39 (GANEK, Bryan 9). Assists-Rockford College 10 (Seneca Evans 3), Concordia (IL) University 10 (MIKRUT, David 3). Total fouls-Rockford College 22, Concordia (IL) University 15. A-150