The men’s basketball team attended the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational over Nov. 19-25 where they finished with a record of 3-1. The team saw a loss to Butler, but followed the loss with three consecutive wins over Vanderbilt, Norfolk State, and Northern Colorado. Zach Thomas ’18 and Nana Foulland ’18 helped bring the Bison to a hard-fought 75-63 victory in their last game over Northern Colorado.

Thomas had 22 points while Foulland had 18 on 9-for-10 shooting, helping the Bison become champions of the “upper division” of the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational. Thomas recorded his fifth career 20-point game, and he raised his team-best season scoring average to 17.9 points per game. Foulland was also named to the All-Tournament Team after the game. The outcome of the tournament put the team at 5-2 for the season.

“I’m really proud of our guys for the way they responded to the Butler loss, coming back to get three good wins. It took a tremendous amount of toughness and attention to detail to do that. Watching Northern Colorado on tape and then in person yesterday, we knew this was going to be a big challenge. They have some very talented players. It was great to get the two games here in Las Vegas,” head coach Nathan Davis said.

The Bison and Northern Colorado engaged in a back-and-forth thriller. With only 6:03 minutes left, the game was at a 59-all tie until Stephen Brown ’18 gave the bison a lead for good. Thomas followed through with a layup followed by Brown who reached the rim for a tough lefty finish. Brown was the Bison’s third double-digit scorer with 12 points along with six assists.

The Orange and Blue will be on the road for their next game against La Salle on Dec. 3.