The Colorado College men's basketball team fell to No. 24 Trinity 83-76 at Reid Arena. Sophomore Ty Hendler led the team with a career-high 17 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals. 
 
Junior Asher Nofziger racked up 15 points, seven assists, three assists, a block and a steal. Senior Scott Ruegg dished 12 points, two rebounds, an assist and a steal. 
 
"Today was a tough day, but a great day all in one," head coach Jeff Conarroe said. "It's a special senior class for me. It will be for a long time. It was unfortunate that we could not get the win for them, but their legacy will not be defined by one day but by helping turn around this program. I'm forever grateful for their investment, hard work and trust."
 
CC led 50-48 at the halftime break after shooting 53.33 percent from the floor. Hendler led the scoring in the first half with 12 points. The Tigers trailed 15-4 after Trinity came out of the gates hot. CC responded with a 16-9 run to cut the deficit to four with 10:18 remaining. 
 
A bucket inside the paint by Kevin Dittman and a three-pointer by Ruegg tied the game up at 26-26 with 8:58 remaining. 
 
A pair of Ruegg free-throws after a Trinity technical foul put CC up 28-26. The lead exchanged hands four times before the break. Devin Philio gave CC a 50-48 advantage with a second left in the half. 
 
In the second, Trinity regained the lead and went up by as many as 11 after a three-pointer, making it 65-54 with 13:22 remaining. CC limited Trinity to 44.00 percent from the floor in the half but shot 25.93 percent from its offensive end. 
 
A strong second by the opposition had CC attempting to come back as the Tigers cut the lead down to five on multiple occasions in the half. Nofziger got a tip in off his rebound with 12:01 remaining to make it 65-60. Trinity, moreover, managed to fight off the Tigers down the stretch to hold on for the eventual 83-76 victory. 
 
CC forced 20 turnovers and had 10 steals compared to Trinity's nine. The CC bench outscored the Trinity bench 46-32. 
 
"Today, Trinity shot the ball very well and they were the better team," Conarroe said. "We had a good first half and couldn't sustain it, but we kept fighting, and I was proud of our team. The good thing is the journey is not over. I told the team after the game that I didn't think they'd played the best basketball that they had played this year and that I was looking forward to going to war with them down in Dallas."
 
The Tigers will then focus on the SCAC Tournament, which starts on Friday, Feb. 28, at the University of Dallas in Irving, Texas. 
 
CC will play Concordia (TX) in the quarterfinals on Friday at 6 p.m. MT. The Tigers will play Trinity in the semifinals on Saturday, hoping for revenge.