Nick Rose scored 31 points to lead Colorado College to an 84-75 victory over Johnson & Wales University on Sunday afternoon at CC's Reid Gymnasium.
Rose scored 22 points in the second half, including seven in the final 2:38, to help the Tigers seal the victory. The junior guard shot .667 from the floor and made all 10 of his free-throw attempts.
Despite playing the final 7:41 with four fouls, Brady Ohlsen finished with 18 points and team highs of eight rebounds and four assists. Jarrell Sweet added 14 points.
Colorado College built a 15-point lead 4:03 into the second half when Colin Madden knocked down the second of his two 3-pointers, but the Wildcats pulled to within 72-68 when Andrew Baker made one of two free throws with 3:43 to play.
The Tigers regained the momentum 15 seconds later when Rose converted on an old-fashioned three-point and CC closed out the game by making nine of 12 free throws during the final 3:05.
Rose and Jarrell Sweet became the 33rd and 34th players in school history to eclipse the 700-point plateau, finishing the game with 714 and 709 career points, respectively.
Sweet scored five points during an 8-0 run that allowed CC to turn a 16-15 deficit into a 23-16 lead. After the Wildcats pulled to within 23-19, Madden and Sweet buried three-point shots during a span of 26 seconds to give the Tigers a double-digit lead for the first time.
Colorado College led 36-25 with 1:34 to play in the first half, but the Wildcats scored seven consecutive points before Jeremiah Waters drained a 3-pointer with two seconds remaining to give CC a 39-32 lead after 20 minutes.
Johnson & Wales out-rebounded the Tigers 41-18, which translated to 16-2 advantage in second-chance points, including a 12-0 margin during the final 20 minutes.
The Tigers made up for that deficit by tying their season high with 11 three-point baskets and by scoring 21 points off 14 Wildcat turnovers.
Nick Maly led the Wildcats with 19 points and nine rebounds, while Chris Brunson came off the bench to score 14.
Colorado College shot a season-high .864 from the free-throw line, making 19 of 22 attempts. Johnson & Wales took 32 free throws, but made only 20.
Colorado College, which improved to 9-4 overall, returns to Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference action next Friday and Sunday when the Tigers play host to Birmingham-Southern College and Rhodes College, respectively.
