By: Paxton Ritchie
CSC Sports Information Director
KEARNEY, Neb. – Chadron State rallied in the second half, cutting the lead to a single basket after the Eagles were 13 down with under five minutes to go, but the comeback attempt fell short as Nebraska-Kearney eked out an 84-79 win over the Eagles on Tuesday night.
Jadon Cool scored a season-high 29 points, including 17 in the second half, shooting better than 50 percent from the field (10-for-16) and three-point range (5-for-9) while staying perfect at the line (4-for-4).
Isaiah Randolph added 16 points with eight rebounds and three steals, Ethan Russell poured in 13 points for a season-high and Luka Djurovic finished with six points and 11 rebounds for his third game this season with 10 or more.
Chadron State (2-10), who outscored UNK (6-5) 50-46 in the second half after putting up just 29 points before halftime, made its late rally despite playing its thinnest bench of the season. Head Coach Chris Francis played only eight players, with two of those only logging five minutes each.
The starting five of Cool (39 minutes), Djurovic (35), Randolph (34), Russell (32) and Blessing Adesipe (30) all played substantially, with Jackson Schauer logged six points in 20 minutes off the bench.
Nebraska-Kearney shot 47 percent from the field, and crucially, the Lopers were equally as efficient from deep, making 14 of 29 three-point shots to hit those at a 48 percent clip. Chadron State shot a respectable 42 percent from both the field (25-59) and three (9-21 3PT) and enjoyed a 38-33 rebounding edge but ultimately couldn't overcome its opponent's three-point volume.
In more good news, Chadron State tied a team season-high with 16 assists, led individually by Randolph and Adesipe with four apiece. Chadron State committed 13 turnovers, finishing with a positive assist-to-turnover ratio as a team for the fourth time this season.
The home team rippled the nets early, sinking four three-pointers to jump out to a 14-2 lead. While the Lopers would ultimately maintain that lead for the duration of the half, the Eagles battled back to within one point with a 13-1 run across six minutes of game time.
The run featured three-pointers from Schauer and Cool, a three-point play from Randolph and four more points from Cool on a jumper and free throws which cut the Loper lead to just 25-24 with 5:48 to go in the first half.
The hosts pushed the margin back up to lead 38-29 at halftime, and maintained a lead of 8-10 points on average throughout the early second half. When UNK's Kendrick Gilbert made a layup with 4:48 to go, the Lopers led by 13 – 73-60 – and appeared to have it locked up.
The Eagles didn't go away quietly, hitting four of their nine threes for the game in a two-minute span to take a bite out of the cushion. Cool hit the first, then Schauer came up with a steal and fed Adesipe for a fastbreak three to make it 73-66. After an empty CSC possession, Cool and Russell each hit three-pointers, then Randolph went 2-for-2 from the line to make it only a 76-74 advantage for Kearney with 1:40 to go.
Like in the first half, however, the Lopers were able to absorb CSC's best punch, answering with a three-pointer to push the lead back up to five. The final minute of the game turned into a free-throw contest and UNK held its nerve by going 5-for-6 from the stripe in the final minute, not allowing the Eagles to get closer.
Chadron State is now done for Christmas break. After the holiday time off, the Eagles will resume RMAC play on the road against Colorado School of Mines on January 8.
Chadron State—Jadon Cool 29, Isaiah Randolph 16, Ethan Russell 13, Blessing Adesipe 9, Luka Djurovic 6, Jackson Schauer 6. Totals: 25-59 FG (9-21 3PT) 20-26 FT. 79 points, 38 rebounds, 16 assists, 13 turnovers.
Nebraska-Kearney—Ja'Bryant Hill 21, Anthony Swift 20, Clayton Moore 12, Tom Connelly 10, Wade Williams 9, Kendrick Gilbert 8, Zeek Brown 4. Totals: 29-61 FG (14-29 3PT) 12-17 FT. 84 points, 33 rebounds, 23 assists, 10 turnovers.