BARTLESVILLE, Okla. - The Rogers State men's basketball team dropped their season opener to Oklahoma Wesleyan 92-78 at the Mueller Sports Center on Friday night.

The Eagles surged to a 48-29 halftime lead. The Hillcats clawed their way back into the game in the second half, cutting OWU lead to nine (59-50) with a 3-pointer by sophomore Alex Ewings at the 12:12 mark but that was as close as they would get.

Half of the Eagles points before intermission came from beyond the arc. OWU knocked down eight of 13 shots from long distance.

The Hillcats struggled offensively in the opening half, knocking down one of nine shots from behind the arc. RSU shot 41 percent from the field and 17 of the their 29 points came from the free throw line.

RSU opened the second half out-scoring OWU 21-11, cutting the deficit to nine but the Eagles answered immediately with a 3-point basket at the other end of the floor and never looked back.

The Hillcats finished the night shooting just 24 percent from 3-point range, 44 percent from the floor and 68 percent from the free throw line.

Four Hillcats finished with double figures. John Boyd led RSU posting a double-double, scoring 24 points while grabbing 10 rebounds. Matt Kellogg and Chris Francis added 14 points apiece and Alburey Doss rounded out the group with 11 points.

Dominique Rambo poured in 22 points for the Eagles followed by Sadiel Rojas with 18 points.

The Eagles held the advantage on the boards, grabbing 35 rebounds while RSU pulled in 26.

The Hillcats (0-1) return to action on Tuesday, Nov. 2, as the travel to Fort Worth, Texas to take on Texas Christian University. Tip time is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be carried live on RSU Radio 91.3 FM.