BETHANY, Okla. - The three-point rain clouds opened at the Sawyer Center for both teams Saturday night as Rogers State and Southern Nazarene combined for 20 three pointers in Bethany, Okla.
Hillcat guard Deveric Taylor proved to be the difference as he poured in 25 points on 9-of-11 shooting to lead second ranked RSU to a 75-66 road victory.
Taylor was the beneficiary of the evening's onslaught of 3s as he hit 6-of-7 from behind the arc. The Dallas native scored 20 of his game-high 25 points in the second half. Taylor, who missed tying a school record by one trey, went through a stretch of three minutes early in the second half where he connected on four consecutive 3s. Taylor's second half shooting exhibition stretched what was a four point lead for RSU into a nine point Hillcat advantage.
It was Crimson Storm junior Vladimir Bulut who came off the bench kept SNU close, going 5-of-7 from 3-point range and finishing with 17 points. Brandon Durham scored ten points in the second half to finish with 15. Deonta Black and Tyree Scott rounded out the Crimson Storm double-digit scorers with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
The Hillcats were without the services of senior forward Roderick Rodgers, who was injured early in the game while contesting a 3-point shot and did not return to the floor. Junior Eric Young was held under double digits in scoring for the second straight outing and finished with eight points. Young scored in double-digits in the Hillcats first 16 games of the season.
Taylor may have been the headliner in Saturday night's affair, but it was another sophomore guard, Chris Francis, that played spectacular all-around. Francis, a Vinita, Okla., product, had 11 points to go along with three boards and two assists. The Hillcats also welcomed Sylvester Spicer back to the lineup and he didn't disappoint. The junior forward scored 13 points in 31 minutes of play in his first game back since a two-game hiatus.
Rogers State (17-1, 11-1) next test is on the long trip to West Texas as the Hillcats face Wayland Baptist on Thursday in Plainview, Texas. The game is slated to tip at 8 pm and will be
