BETHANY, Okla. - Rogers State's surprise run through the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament ended with a thud Saturday night at the Sawyer Center in Bethany, Okla.
 

Gassed from back-to-back victories over Top 20 opponents on Thursday and Friday, the Hillcats simply didn't have enough fuel left in the tank to complete the journey. John Brown emerged from a defensive struggle with a strong second half and punched its ticket to the NAIA National Tournament with a 73-58 victory. It marked the first conference tournament championship for the Golden Eagles in school history.
 

Both teams struggled to find any rhythm on offense in the first half. RSU managed just four field goals in the opening period and trailed, 23-15, at the break. Lance Sullivan scored the first bucket of the second half to cut the lead to six, but the Cats would get no closer.
 

Abel Galliguez answered with treys on the Golden Eagles' next two possessions as JBU began to pull away. Adrian Miller capped an 8-0 run to put the Eagles in front by 14 at the 16 minute mark of the second half. JBU enjoyed the comfort of a double digit lead for the remainder of the night.
 

Galliguez scored 12 of his 15 points in the second half and was named the MVP of the tournament. Davaughn Jackson and Coleson Rakestraw added 16 apiece as the Eagles shot 67 percent from the floor in the second stanza.

Sylvester Spicer was the only RSU player to reach double figures with 20 points. The Hillcats were outrebounded by 17 and gave up 13 offensive rebounds on the night.
It was a bitter ending to a magical late-season run for RSU. The Cats knocked off No. 25 Oklahoma Christian in the regular season finale and then dropped No. 16 Oklahoma City and No. 6 Southern Nazarene on consecutive days to reach the championship game of the conference tournament.

Seniors Sylvester Spicer and Lance Sullivan were both named to the all-tournament team along with junior Deveric Taylor. Sullivan was also honored with the tournament hustle award.

Rogers State (22-11) completed its third consecutive 20-win season and advanced to the SAC championship game for the second straight year. Spicer and Sullivan played their final game in a Hillcat uniform while 10 lettermen are slated to return for the 2010-11 season.