CLAREMORE, Okla. - Wayland Baptist refused to follow the script Thursday as the Pioneers foiled Rogers State's plans for a celebratory evening with a 73-66 upset at the Claremore Expo.
 

The night was supposed to belong to RSU senior Sylvester Spicer and the Hillcats. The Dallas native became the school's first 1,000-point scorer when he buried a three from the top of the key late in the first half. A third straight victory for the Cats seemed like a mere formality at the time, but a feisty WBU squad would have no part of it.
 

Instead, Jason Griffin came off the bench to steal the spotlight and lead the Pioneers to their first conference road win of the season. Griffin poured in 24 points on 9 of 12 shooting, including six 3-point baskets.
 

RSU shot 50 percent from the field and out-rebounded the Pioneers by 10, but simply couldn't come up with enough defensive stops to secure the victory.
 

The two teams traded the lead 11 times in the first half alone. Griffin drilled his third trey of the opening 20 minutes right before the half to give WBU a 37-34 advantage heading into the locker room.
 

The Pioneers' lead peaked at eight points on Griffin's final three with just over four minutes remaining. Chris Francis responded with five quick points for the Hillcats and Spicer cut the deficit to one with an inside bucket with less than a minute to play. RSU fouled Johnny Terra on the ensuing possession and the big man calmly splashed in two free throws to push the margin back to three.
 

Lance Sullivan then blew by the WBU defense before missing an uncontested layup. Spicer's follow attempt was also off the mark and Terra grabbed the rebound, absorbed the foul and made two more free throws to secure the win. The Pioneers shot 53 percent from the field and knocked down 9 of 18 attempts from downtown.
 

Spicer led RSU with 20 points while John Boyd posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. The Hillcats struggled at the free throw line, hitting just 9 of 19 attempts from the charity stripe.
 

Rogers State (17-10, 10-9) fell to sixth place in the Sooner Athletic Conference standings with the loss. The Hillcats will face Lubbock Christian at the Claremore Expo Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. and the first 750 fans will receive a free Hillcat hand-banner courtesy of the RSU athletic department.