KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Rogers State men's basketball team moves on the quarterfinals at the Buffalo-Funds NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship with a, 66-45, victory over unseeded Carroll College (Mont.) on Friday evening at Municipal Auditorium.
"I am really pleased with our team's effort tonight," Barkley said. "We are going to ride the momentum as far as it will take us. I said our biggest win in program history was on Wednesday night but we just backed that up, tonight's win is the biggest win in program history. We are in unchartered territory for this program. I am so proud of these guys. They have bought in and they are pulling for each other."
The Hillcats never trailed in the contest. They opened the second half with a 6-0 run capped off by a Matt Kellogg layup to take a 37-25 lead, their first double-digit advantage of the game. The Saints cut the deficit to nine points with a Andy Garland layup with 10:51 to play however, the Cats returned with a 10-2 run capped off by a trey by John Boyd from the top of the arc to give the Cats a 51-34 lead.
With less than three minutes to play the Cats put the game on ice as Maurice Rutherford nabbed a steal and fed the ball to Kellogg. The senior guard dished the ball to Brandon Mims who brought the Hillcat crowd to their feet with a dunk that gave the Cats a 20-point lead.
"Our kids were glued in to the scouting report," Barkley said. "We defended really well. This is the time of year you have to hang your hat on the defense. Larry (Cox), Albery (Doss) and Brandon (Mims) did a great job blocking out and getting rebounds."
The Hillcats took a 31-25 lead into intermission. The Cats ended the first stanza with a 7-2 run capped off with a steal by Alburey Doss and a layup by Francis. Francis led RSU in the opening half with seven points and three assists. The Cats nabbed five steals in the half and the Saints committed 11 turnovers. RSU took care of the basketball as they committed just four turnovers.
Boyd led the Hillcats in scoring for the 17th time this season and registered his sixth double-double. The senior from Wagoner, Okla., poured in 16 points while pulling in 12 rebounds. Doss followed with 12 points as he was perfect from the floor and the free throw line. The senior forward was 5-for-5 from the field and drained a pair of free throws. Kellogg and Francis rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points apiece. Francis nabbed four of the Hillcats eight steals on the night while Kellogg dished out five assists.
The Fighting Saints committed 16 turnovers in the game while shooting 30 percent from the field and 15 percent being the arc.
"The MVP of the game is our entire defense," Barkley said. "I can't pin-point one guy who stood out above the rest. I tell our guys all the time, if the opposing team can't make baskets they aren't going to win."
Rogers State (22-11) is one of two unseeded teams remaining in the tournament. The Hillcats join Pikeville College who defeated Oklahoma Baptist in the opening round. RSU advances to the quarterfinals on Saturday, March 19 at 6 p.m. They will face the No. 3 seed Mountain State (W.Va.). The Cougars are ranked third in the NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coaches' Poll. They defeated Lindenwood (Mo.), 84-67, to advance to the round of eight.
RSU Radio 91.3FM will broadcast the live play-by-play coverage of the Hillcats throughout the National Tournament. The games can be listened to live via the internet with live streaming by going to the official website of the Hillcats and clicking on the "webcasts" link.
