GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Battlin' Bears went wire to wire with the third ranked Firestorm, but a late run from Arizona Christian saw Rocky Mountain fall 88-84 in Glendale on  Friday afternoon. 

There were fireworks in the ACU Event Center in the first half of Friday's game, as the Battlin' Bears hit nine first half threes and had three players score in double figures. They shot 50% from the field and 60% from behind the arc as the Battlin' Bears held a seven point lead going into the second half. Kael Robinson, Maxim Stephens, and Jesse Owens combined for 40 points on 13-20 shooting from the field and 8-10 shooting from three point range. 

Rocky quickly jumped out to a 7-2 run to open up the second half, extending their lead to 11 within the first two minutes of play. The Rocky offense went cold in the midst of the second half, allowing the Firestorm to inch back into the game, as a tip-in off of a missed jumper for the Firestorm tied the game up at 67-67 with 10:52 remaining. Both teams traded baskets throughout the second half, leading to an exciting final two minutes of play. 

Maxim Stephens hit both of his free throws with 2:00 minutes remaining to put Rocky up 82-79, but Arizona Christian responded with a three pointer to tie it back up, followed by a steal and another three to give them a three point lead with 54 seconds left, tying their largest lead of the game at the time. A Battlin' Bear miss gave Arizona Christian a chance to put the game away, but a missed free throw on a one-for-one opportunity gave Rocky another opportunity. Kael Robinson found Maxim Stephens wide open for a dunk with 11 seconds remaining to cut the Firestorm lead to one. Firestorm's Trent Hudgens hit both of his free throws after successfully getting the inbounds pass, giving Rocky one last possession to tie the game. The Battlin' Bears found a good look, but the shot didn't fall and Arizona Christian held onto a home victory, winning 88-84 after a final free throw attempt with a second remaining. 

The Battlin' Bears were led by 26 points, five rebounds, and three steals from Kael Robinson, 21 points, 19 rebounds, and six blocks from Maxim Stephens, and 18 points, five rebounds, and four assists from Jesse Owens. Rocky shot 39.7% from the field and 41.4% from three, while shooting 22-30 from the free throw line in the loss. The Battlin' Bears grabbed 17 offensive rebounds on the day.