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Rocky Mountain College Athletics

Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears

Events and Results

Events and Results

Nesbit vs Langston '26
60
Winner Langston LA 28-7
55
Rocky Mountain (MT) RM 31-4
Winner
Langston LA
28-7
60
Final
55
Rocky Mountain (MT) RM
31-4
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Langston LA 25 35 60
Rocky Mountain (MT) RM 22 33 55

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Rocky Men’s Basketball Bows Out of the NAIA National Championship Following a 60-55 Defeat to Langston University

KANSAS CITY, Mo.- A 9-1 run inside the final two minutes gave Rocky life late, but ultimately their last-ditch effort came up short, falling to fourth-seeded Langston in the Quarterfinals. 

Omari Nesbit scored Rocky's last 13 points in the final four minutes of play, turning a ten-point deficit with two minutes remaining into a three-point game with 11 seconds left and a chance to tie. Drew Bowman had a great look at the game-tying shot from the corner, but Langston was able to get a finger tip on the shot, handing Rocky their first loss of 2026, snapping a 21-game win streak, and spelling the end of a historic season under first-year Head Coach Danny Neville. 

How It Happened
Fitting the billing for two of the best defensive teams in the country, scoring was minimal for the opening ten minutes of the contest, as a Royce Robinson three-pointer gave Rocky a 9-6 lead. Robinson and Omari Nesbit would combine for the next eight points from the field, giving Rocky a five-point advantage with 4:30 to play in the first half. Langston would close the half strong, compiling an 8-3 run to close the half, snagging a three-point lead, 25-22. 

The Lions would carry over their newfound momentum into the second half with an 8-0 run to open an 11-point lead with 16:38 to play. A 6-0 Battlin' Bear run would cut their deficit back to four, but Langston would again have an answer with a 7-2 run to take a nine-point lead with five minutes to go. A three-pointer from Langston's Orlando Thomas would give the Lions a ten-point lead with two minutes remaining. Still, Omari Nesbit would shoot life back into the Battlin' Bears with a trio of three-pointers, cutting Rocky's deficit back down to two with 27 seconds remaining. Lagnston would sink a pair of free throws, and Nesbit would be fouled on another three-point attempt, draining two of three. The Lions would split a pair of free throws, giving Rocky one last possession with 11 seconds to go, but their attempt to force overtime came up just short, as Rocky was handed a defeat in the Quarterfinals round. 

Notable Statistics
Omari Nesbit tallied a game-high 21 points, including 13 in the final four minutes, while also adding two steals and two blocks. Royce Robinson added 16 points, six rebounds, five assists, four steals, and two blocks, while Carter McCoy followed with ten points and seven rebounds. 

Rocky shot just 38% from the field, 21.7% from three-point range, and 54.5% from the free-throw line, sinking just 12 of 22 attempts. The Battlin' Bears were narrowly outrebounded 36- 32, while both teams turned the ball over 11 times. 

Langston was led by 14 points from Orlando Thomas, who sank nine of ten from the charity stripe. All nine Lions who entered the game scored. 

Up Next
The Battlin' Bears (31-4) had a season for the record books, setting new program highs in wins, conference wins, and winning streak, while winning their first Frontier Conference Regular Season and Tournament Championship since 2014 and their first NAIA National Tournament appearance since 2019. 
 
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