Friday, March 6, 2026
The CSC Eagle Newspaper – Chadron, NE
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The CSC Eagle Newspaper – Chadron, NE
BasketballSports

Men’s team falls to Griffins 76-70

Preston Goehring
CSC point guard Darius Polley, (21), junior of Amarillo, Texas goes up for a layup Friday against Westminster College, Salt Lake City.
CSC point guard Darius Polley, (21), junior of Amarillo, Texas goes up for a layup Friday against Westminster College, Salt Lake City.

The men’s basketball team lost a heartbreaker against Westminster College, Salt Lake City, 76-70, in overtime, Friday in the Chicoine Center.
CSC led the entire game, until Westminster’s Mason Smith, junior of American Fork, Utah, hit a clutch 3-pointer with 26 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game at 68.
On the ensuing possession, the Eagles held the ball for the last shot, eventually the ball ended up with redshirt freshman Vonsinh Sayaloune, of Chadron. Sayaloune fired a deep 3-point attempt as the game clock approached all zeros. The shot rattled on the rim for a brief moment, giving the Eagle faithful hope of another home win, but as the final buzzer sounded, the ball fell away from the hoop, requiring the game to go to overtime.
The Griffins scored the first points of the extra period off a Smith layup. It was the first lead of the game for Westminster, and the only one that was needed. The Eagles struggled to convert offensive opportunities to points, allowing Westminster to escape Chadron with a win.
Sayaloune shot 6 of 9 from long range, finishing with a team-high 23 points. He also converted on five free throws.
Austin Hall, junior of Aurora, Colorado, and Leigh Saffin, redshirt sophomore of Warrnambool, Australia, were the next best scorers with nine.
The Eagles are on the road this weekend, traveling to Alamosa, Colorado, Friday to play Adams State University, and Durango, Colorado, on Saturday to play Fort Lewis College. Tip-off for both games is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
ASU is currently four places above CSC in the RMAC standings, with a 8-10 overall record, 5-7 in the RMAC. The Skyhawks are ranked second in the conference with a 15-3 overall record, 10-2 in conference play. Colorado School of Mines, Golden, leads the conference with an equal record to Fort Lewis.