MADISON, Wis. - The Regents won their second straight game Saturday night with a 79-63 victory over the Edgewood College Eagles. It was Rockford's best performance of the season as the Regents outplayed the Eagles in every facet of the game. Rockford shot an impressive 47.5% (28-of-59) from the floor and a blistering 50% (10-of-20) from beyond the arc compared to 42.9% (24-of-56) from the field and just 27.3% (6-of-22) from three-point range for Edgewood. Defensively Rockford was once again at the top of its game forcing 14 turnovers and outscoring the Eagles 22-to-8 on points off turnovers.
Despite the lopsided final score, it was a tight game for much of the evening. Rockford got off to a hot start thanks to an early trio of three-points. After Edgewood scored the opening basket of the game, juniors John O'Bryan (Richmond, Ky.) and Ross Arteaga (Mendota, Ill.) connected on back-to-back-to-back threes capping off an 11-0 Rockford run. The Eagles would battle back over the next few minutes and eventually tie the game at 13-13. Rockford and Edgewood traded baskets for the remainder of the half with the Regents taking a 37-36 lead into the break.
Rockford maintained a narrow lead for much of the second half before putting the game away late. With 8:33 remaining and the Regents clinging to a 4-point lead, Rockford went on a 10-0 over the next two and a half minutes to take a 67-53 lead. John O'Bryan once again delivered the exclamation point draining a pair of three-pointers forcing the Eagles to use a timeout. Rockford then extended its lead to as many as 18 points en route to its second straight road win.
O'Bryan continues to be an absolute nightmare for opposing defenses. The junior poured in 27 points as he knocked down six three-pointers for his sixth 20-point game of the season. O'Bryan's hot hand has earned him the top spot in the NACC this season as he is the conference's leading scorer averaging 20.7 points per game.
Ross Arteaga had by far his best performance of the season on Saturday. Arteaga tied his season-high with 21 points on an impressive 7-of-15 shooting including draining a trio of threes. The junior also added 4 assists, 1 rebound and 1 steal to his stat line.
Sophomore Zach Wallace (Rockford, Ill.) scored in double-digits for the eighth time this season. Wallace finished with 13 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block.
The men's basketball team returns home on Wednesday, December 31 against Concordia University Chicago. Tip-off is at 2:00 p.m. in the Seaver Center.
