Pack's big men can't turn tide against Regis

DENVER, Colo. - You could argue that the strength of the ThunderWolves' basketball team are their big men, particularly Chris Childress and Jake Trahern, and if you are to win, they must be stopped.

So much for conventional wisdom.

Though Childress put up his first career double-double and Trahern added 12 points, subpar shooting by the Pack's backcourt and several key turnovers was enough to carve out a small advantage for Regis Friday night as the Rangers scored a 67-63 win in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opener for both teams.

The Rangers got double digits from three players, but more than anything, they were the beneficiary of missed opportunities on the part of CSU-Pueblo.

Trailing just 63-61 with one minute left to play, the ThunderWolves missed four consecutive short range attempts before Regis finally took down a rebound, forcing the Pack into fouling their way out of a disadvantage.

From there, the game simply ran out of time, as Regis extended their advantage to four following two charity buckets by Alex Potts, the Rangers' leading scorer on the night. Trahern was able to bring the Pack to within two with a layup with 15 seconds remaining, but time literally got away from the ThunderWolves, forcing them to drop their fifth game of the season.

The Pack's loss marks the fourth time in as many years that they have lost their conference opener, and is the team's third loss to Regis in the last four meetings.

The Pack falls to 2-5 on the season, going into another road conference matchup against UC-Colorado Springs tomorrow night.