LAKEWOOD, Colo. -- December 7, 2018 -- Five Chadron State College men's basketball players scored in double-digits on Friday evening in a wild Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference slugfest, as the CSC Eagles held off the host Colorado Christian University Cougars on one final eight-second possession to seal an 80-79 win and remain undefeated in league play at 2-0. The Eagles got back to an even .500 overall, while the CCU men dropped to 2-6 (0-2 RMAC).

"We expected this game," said CSC Head Men's Basketball Coach Houston Reed. "Colorado Christian is a team that has a lot of returners, and they have one of the most difficult places to play."

Twenty-one lead changes and 12 tied scores characterized a nip-and-tuck evening for the two conference rivals. CSC led 43-42 at the half, before both teams added 37 points in the final frame. The game hinged on one final eight-second possession by the Cougars, when CCU's sophomore point guard Jake Hornick rushed the ball down the court but launched an off-balance shot which rimmed out.

Chadron State had held the lead for the final 3:07. Just prior to that, junior guard Michael Sparks embarked on a nine-point spree that put the Eagles up 70-69 with 5:57 to play. His efforts included back-to-back threes and a four-point play with 7:09 remaining, erasing a 64-61 deficit for CSC.

CCU's Jeremiah Hanson, who would not be denied all night, hit a pair of free throws at 4:21 to retake a lead for the Cougars, but back-to-back jumpers by Chadron State forward Charles Gavin, after the four-minute mark, tipped the balance back toward the Eagles for the final time.

Hanson finished with 26 points for the Cougars in the loss.

Sparks finished as the Eagles' leading scorer with 20 points on 5-of-9 shooting from three-point range and 7-of-13 from the floor.

Colby Jackson, getting his first start in his return from a hand injury, scored 18 in the first half, but went scoreless the rest of the game. He shared the team lead with four assists.

Gavin got 12 points, and Diontae Champion and Adoum Mbang each finished with 10 for the Eagles. Champion added four assists to match Jackson.

On Saturday, Chadron State travels north of downtown to meet the Regis University Rangers, who were 74-57 winners over visiting MSU Denver Friday evening. The men's game between the two 2-0 squads takes place following the women's game which begins at 3 p.m.