For the second night in a row, the Colorado College men's basketball team relied on a dominant second half to overcome a deficit and ultimately run away with the win in the final minutes. 
 
"It's hard to believe this was opening weekend, felt like NCAA tournament games," head coach Jeff Conarroe said. "I'm proud of our effort, connectedness and unselfishness we are starting to display. I also thought we showed excellent toughness tonight after digging a hole again. I believe Bethany Lutheran is a really good team; Coach Garvin has built a great program."
 
Career performances from Asher Nofziger and Devin Phlio engined the Tigers. Nofziger dished out a career-best 28 points, 10 rebounds, and a steal. It's the first double-double of the year for CC. 
 
Devin Philio followed with his own career-high performance of 20 points. He finished with the game with three assists and a steal in his 30 minutes on the floor. 
 
The CC starters combined for 79 of the 86 points, with four scoring in double digits. Gavin Carter and Scott Ruegg combined for 26 points, three rebounds, and eight assists. 
 
Bethany Lutheran led 37-29 at the half and then increased their lead to a game-high 10 points with 19:49 left. The Tigers worked to chip away at the lead and eventually cut the margin down to three points with 15:38 remaining after a dunk by Philio made it 48-45. The Tigers kept their run going despite some pushback from the Vikings. 

After BLC worked the lead up to seven, Nofziger had back-to-back buckets, including an emphatic dunk with 10:43 left, followed by a Ruegg three-pointer to tie the game at 58-58. 
 
CC finally took over the lead at 8:22, and then Philio led a fast break and finished inside the paint, making it 64-62. 
 
The Tigers never trailed following the Philio basket, and CC finished the game, outsourcing the Vikings 24-13 over the final eight minutes. 
 
BLC was led by their two top scorers, who combined for 16 points in the second half, but the Tiger defense held the Vikings to 50 percent shooting from the floor and 25 percent from long range in the second half. 
 
"They have excellent players, and Devin and Kevin really stepped up defensively in the second half," Conarroe said. "We also really improved our turnover game, a major emphasis going in."
 
CC managed a double-digit lead in the final minutes and never allowed BLC to come within a couple of possessions to win, ultimately 86-75. 
 
"I'm just really proud of this group, Conarroe said. "Every night, I feel like we have 16 guys that could deliver for us; our depth will be a significant factor in the coming months."
CC hosts Hanover College on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 2 pm MT before hitting the road for three straight weeks.