SHAWNEE, Okla. - The Rogers State men's basketball team secured a crucial road victory over St. Gregory's on Tuesday afternoon as the Cats clawed their way to a 68-56 win at W.P. Wood Fieldhouse.
Senior Matt Kellogg opened the game with a 3-pointer from the top of the arc and sparked a 19-4 run. However, the Cavaliers were resilient and countered with a 14-3 run to cut the Cat lead to four with less than eight minutes to play in the half. Senior Chris Francis hit a bucket from long distance to cool the Cavaliers run but SGU cut the deficit to one point with 54 seconds remaining in the half. Francis was fouled with five second left in the first stanza. He knocked down two free shots and the Hillcats took a 33-30 advantage into the break. Francis led all scorers as he poured in 11 first half point.
The second half started much like the first. Kellogg hit a trey that ignited a 7-0 run and gave the Hillcats a 10-point advantage. The Cats held the lead for the entire second half but SGU kept it close as they trailed my single-digits for most of the contest. RSU kept the Cavaliers at arm's length for the final five minutes and Francis put the game on ice with 37 seconds to play as he drained a pair of free throws to push the lead to 12 points.
Francis, a senior from Cleora, Okla., scored a team high 18 points and tied his career-high set on Nov. 29, 2010 against Oklahoma Wesleyan. Seniors Deveric Taylor and John Boyd were the only other Hillcats to reach double-digit scoring as they added 17 points apiece. Boyd tallied his fifth double-double of the season, grabbing 12 boards.
The Cats out rebounded the Cavaliers 38-31 and shot 43 percent from the floor. Fayzon Richey led SGU in scoring with 14 points.
With the win, the Cats are in sole position of fourth place in the Sooner Athletic Conference standings, four games back from OBU, the conference leader. Southern Nazarene is in second place one and a half games back from first place and Northwestern Oklahoma State sits in third, three games behind OBU.
Rogers State (13-9, 9-6) will remain on the road as they face Mid-America Christian on Thursday. Tip-time is set for 8 p.m. and the game will be broadcasted live on RSU Radio 91.3 FM. For more information on Hillcat basketball visit rsuhillcats.com.
