CHADRON, Neb. – Redshirt freshman Jackson Schauer hit eight three-pointers, Jadon Cool scored 17 second-half points and Chadron State rallied from as many as 21 points down to stun MSU Denver 84-77 at home in the Chicoine Center. 

Chadron State is now 6-17 overall and 4-11 in the RMAC after the Eagles outscored the Roadrunners 55-32 in the second half. MSU Denver dropped to 7-16 and 5-10 in the RMAC after leading by 16 points at halftime.

Schauer finished with 26 points, nearly doubling his previous career high of 14. The South Dakota native hit four triples in each half and accounted for eight of CSC's 13 total makes by himself. 

Cool made 12 of 14 free-throw attempts, the last two with a bloody mouth after a hard foul with 3.8 seconds left, and finished with 22 points for his fifth 20-point game of the season.

Zach Smith tied a career-high with 37 minutes logged and made plays all night long, chipping in 10 points to go with game-high totals of five assists and four steals. Isaiah Randolph (12 points), Blessing Adesipe (10) and Smith gave the Eagles five double-figure scorers.

Two weeks after shooting 70 percent from the field in the second half of their most recent win, the Eagles again found another several gears out of the locker room. After halftime, Chadron State sunk 59.3 percent of its total attempts and 61.5 percent of three-pointers (8-13). Over the same stretch, the Roadrunners shot 30 percent from the field and 8.3 percent (1-12) from deep.

An inauspicious start set the stage for CSC's dramatic comeback. The Eagles trailed 13-2, 21-5 and 31-13 and shot only 28.6 percent in the first half while the Roadrunners made 9 of 16 threes. 

CSC's largest deficit of the night came with under three minutes to go in the first half, when the cherry on top of a 6-0 MSU Denver run made it 42-21, Roadrunners. The visitors led 45-29 at the break. 

Still, there were signs in the first half of what was to come. Schauer, who came off the bench, took his first three-point attempt with 6:57 remaining in the first half and missed. He would make his next four before the end of the half, providing both a spark and a healthy chunk of CSC's entire point total, then missed an off-balance heave at the buzzer.

In the second half, MSU Denver turned it over on its first two possessions, then missed seven of its first eight field goal attempts. CSC used those empty possessions to chip away – Smith and Adesipe tallied five points while Cool had four on a 17-4 run across the first six-and-a-half minutes. 

Then, Schauer took over. Every time the ball rippled through the net, the Eagles' momentum, player emotions and the volume from fans inside the Chicoine Center intensified, starting with murmurs and growing until it reverberated into an unstoppable tidal wave of energy. 

Schauer's first three of the second half cut the deficit to just two points at 51-49. His second three came a minute later, halting a mini 4-0 Roadrunner run. His third three gave the Eagles a 58-56 lead, their first of the game after Cool had tied it at 55 with a three of his own. 

His fourth three brought the lead up to five points at 63-58, and the perimeter opened up for other options. Cool hit a stepback three and Luka Djurovic blew by a defender for a layup, and suddenly, it was 70-59 Eagles, an incredible 41-14 scoring reversal since the start of the half. 

The game grew more physical after halftime as teams attacked the paint (a category in which MSU Denver did lead, 34-22). There were only 10 total free throws in the first half, all by the Eagles, but the two teams combined for 40 in the second half with the visitors taking 21. 

The Eagles were better from the line to maintain their cushion down the stretch, hitting 23 of 29 attempts (79.3 percent) while the Roadrunners made 13 of 21 (61.9 percent). Cool (12-for-14), Isaiah Randolph (4-for-5) and Smith (3-for-4) accounted for most of the free throw damage.

This is the only matchup between Chadron State and MSU Denver this season. The previous matchup was just as wild, with the Eagles coming back from an 11-point halftime deficit but losing 73-71 after a made halfcourt shot by Chadron State was ruled to be after the buzzer. 

The Eagles will try to corral their positive momentum into another key showdown against Colorado School of Mines this Saturday. The Orediggers (13-13, 9-6 RMAC) lost to Black Hills State on Thursday. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

​Chadron State—Jackson Schauer 26, Jadon Cool 22, Isaiah Randolph 12, Zach Smith 10, Blessing Adesipe 10, Luka Djurovic 3, Jovan Jovanovic 1. Totals: 24-55 FG (13-31 3PT) 23-29 FT. 84 points, 29 rebounds, 14 assists, 11 turnovers.

​MSU Denver—Logan Threatt 18, Amare Bethel 15, Quave Propst-Allison 14, Adam Hackett 11, Daniel Thomason 10, Brian Unachukwu 4, Nathan Macadory 3, Jacob Barker 2. Totals: 27-62 FG (10-28 3PT) 13-21 FT. 77 points, 38 rebounds, 12 assists, 16 turnovers.