Senior guard Charlie Rounaghi and freshman guard Edgar Romero came through with clutch plays during the final 3:20 to help the Colorado College men's basketball team overcome a 10-point second-half deficit and defeat Concordia University Chicago, 60-59, on Friday afternoon in the season opener for both teams at Reid Arena.

Rounaghi and Romero buried back-to-back three-pointers to cap 13-0 run that gave the Tigers a 58-55 lead with 2:39 remaining in the game.

The Cougars took a one-point lead when Jordan Matthews hit a jumper with 26 seconds remaining, but on CC's next possession, Rounaghi scored on a layup with 11 seconds to go after taking a pass from freshman forward Adrian Price.

Concordia Chicago had a chance to win the game on its final possession, however pressure from freshman forward Devin Philio caused a turnover, and then Romero stole the ball and ran the clock down to one second before he was fouled.    

The Tigers utilized pressure defense and a dominating presence on the glass to limit CUC to only four points during the final 7:22.

Price led the Tigers with game highs of 13 points and nine rebounds.

Romero and senior guard Scott Cunningham added nine points apiece for Colorado College.

Landen Gadney led Concordia Chicago with 11 points.
    
    
Coach's Comments
"This was an unbelievable team win tonight," head coach Jeff Conarroe said. "It was a testament to the togetherness and culture that our leadership has built. It was a big step in building a championship culture. 
Concordia is a very good team that is long and athletic. I am very proud of our defensive effort and our effort on the boards was tremendous. We have much to improve, but this win was special. It took a lot of courage and selflessness to dig and dig deep, and find a way to win a game like that. Our guys did that tonight."
 
Colorado College Standouts
Charlie Rounaghi grabbed six rebounds, scored five points and dished out four assists.
Trey Crawford grabbed seven rebounds and blocked a pair of shots.
 
Concordia University Chicago Standouts
Tavarus Davis-Williams scored 10 points and had five steals.
Izak Ruddell scored 10 points and grabbed three rebounds.
 
Next for the Tigers
Colorado College plays host to the University of Chicago on Saturday at 3 p.m.