CLAREMORE, Okla. – For the first time this season, the Rogers State men's basketball team lost at home despite battling back to force two overtime periods falling, 85-75, to St. Mary's in Heartland Conference play Saturday at the Claremore Expo Center.
 
J.C. Hartzler matched his career-high with 26 points and knocked down three free throws in the final second of regulation after being fouled on his game-tying attempt forcing overtime and DesJuan Newton scored the tying basket in the first extra session on a fast-break layup but the Hillcats could not come back a third time splitting the weekend homestand.
 
After the Rattlers scored the opening bucket, RSU responded with a 15-3 run for an early double-digit lead hitting three from behind the arc. StMU stormed back to take their first lead of the day 25-23 going on an 8-0 run of its own.
 
RSU regained the edge scoring the next six points as Hartzler converted the second of three first-half three pointers. The Hillcats carried the slim margin into the halftime break leading the Heartland Conference's best scoring defense, 39-36.
 
The Rattlers continued their strong stretch from the end of the first half following the break outscoring RSU 13-2 over a nearly eight-minute span moving in front 45-41 before Hartzler ended the drought with a trey. The junior from Tulsa dropped his fifth of the game from long range giving the Cats a brief 49-48 advantage with 14 minutes to play.
 
As the two teams battled for momentum, neither could garner much of an edge with the lead going back and forth nine different times during the second stanza. StMU controlled for its largest lead of the game, 66-61, with 17 seconds remaining in regulation before Moore hit a pair of free throws cutting the deficit to three with 11 seconds left leading to Hartzler's heroics.
 
In the first overtime, the Rattlers held the lead throughout and went ahead by four on a trey from Kriston Minor until RSU scored the final four points to force the second extra period as Newton caught a long outlet pass on a Donald Moore rebound evening the game, 74-74. St. Mary's outscored the Hillcats 11-1 in the second overtime picking up its third win in its last four games.
 
Hartzler went a perfect 9-of-9 from the free throw line on his way to a game-high 26 points while Moore posted his highest point total as a Hillcat with 20 points. Frederico Santos chipped in eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
 
Rogers State (8-6, 2-4 HC) heads back on the road continuing conference play at Lubbock Christian Thursday Jan. 15 for an 8 p.m. tip. The game can be heard live on the Hillcat Network at www.rsuhillcats.com/live and on RSU Radio at 91.3 FM.