CLAREMORE, Okla. - Rogers State appeared poised to knock off defending national champion Oklahoma City until the Stars beat the buzzer on the final play of the game to earn an 83-81 win at the Claremore Expo Saturday night.
Ollie Bailey tipped in a miss by Ronald Taylor to record the game winning basket with less than a second remaining and spoiled the Hillcats' upset bid. Bailey led all scorers with 23 points on 11-of-16 shooting.
RSU held an 81-78 lead with 36 seconds remaining after Eric Young knocked down two critical free throws. OCU's Matt Guymon delivered a long 3-pointer on the other end of the floor to make it 81-81. The Hillcats took possession with 16 seconds left and a chance to win the game. However, Aldric Reynold's jumper in the lane wouldn't fall and OCU hauled in the rebound with six tics showing on the game clock. Taylor drove the length of the floor and put up a contested shot that rattled off the rim. Bailey timed his jump perfectly and tipped it through the hoop just before the final horn as the Stars escaped with the victory in a wildly entertaining ballgame.
Young had his biggest game of the season for RSU with 19 points, including 11 in the second half. The sophomore from Houston went 8-for-9 from the free throw line and made all five of his attempts down the stretch. Four Hillcats finished in double figures as Reynolds poured in 17 points and Roderick Rodgers and Abram Donlon added 16 and 11, respectively.
The Hillcats shot 50-percent from the floor for the game while the Stars shot 54-percent. RSU trailed 44-40 at the half and held All-American Willie Irick to just one point. Irick came alive in the final minutes of the game, scoring five of the final 12 points for the Stars. He finished with 11 points while Taylor and Richard Worthy had 18 and 15, respectively.
Oklahoma City (4-3), ranked No. 1 in the NAIA pre-season poll, is the perennial favorite to repeat as the SAC champion. Rogers State (6-2) suffered its first conference loss and its first ever loss at the Claremore Expo.
The Hillcats will look to rebound from Saturday's heartbreaker as they travel to John Brown on Thursday for the final conference game before the holidays. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. and the game can be heard live on RSU Radio 91.3 FM.
