WICHITA, Kan. – The Rogers State men's basketball team pulled away for an 81-67 road win at Newman on Thursday at Fugate Gymnasium. The Hillcats built a 10-point halftime advantage and cruised to the win.
 
Trailing 11-10, RSU went on a 7-0 run to gain a 17-11 advantage with 12:04 left in the half. Donald Moore hit a tough layup and was fouled. He hit the free throw to put the Hillcats up 13-11. Travis Hester came off the bench to knock down a triple for a 16-11 score. The run continued with one free throw from Jeylyn Sharpe putting RSU in front 17-11.
 
NU's Jalen Love went on a personal 6-0 run to tie the score at 17-17. Corey Ayala and J.C. Hartzler made back-to-back layups to regain the lead at 21-17 with 8:48 left in the half.
 
With the Hillcats in front 31-28 at the 5:21 mark, RSU pushed the margin to 11 points at 44-33. Moore converted on a three-point play to move the advantage to 34-28. Hartzler put in a trey for a 37-30 score. Matt Lea came in to put in a layup. Another three-point play, this time from Sharpe, made it 42-33. Hartzler went 2-for-2 from the line to up the edge to 44-33. The Hillcats held a 44-34 lead at halftime.
 
RSU started the second half with a 9-2 run to increase the margin to 53-36 with 15 minutes remaining. Corey Ayala started the spurt with a layup, and Moore knocked down a three for a 49-36 score. Robert Johnson scored on a layup. A tip-in by Travis Julien made it 53-36 at the 15:00 mark.
 
The Jets cut the deficit to 12 points after a triple and a layup from Jalen Love to make the score 55-43. RSU, however, didn't allow the home team to get closer than 12 for the rest of the contest.
Holding a 75-62 advantage with 1:44 remaining, Corey Ayala pushed the ball up the court and dished the ball to Johnson who put down a two-handed slam for a 77-62 score. The Hillcats went on to win, 81-67, over the Jets.
 
RSU's defense was strong, holding NU to its second-lowest point total of the season at 67. For the game, the Jets shot only 35.5 percent from the field and 19 percent from three. The Hillcats held NU to 30.3 percent and 7.1 percent from deep in the second half.
 
Five Hillcats scored in double figures. Moore led the way with 24 points. Hartzler totaled 13 points, Sharpe tallied 12 points and Ayala and Johnson both added 10 points. Sharpe finished with a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds.
 
NU's Love poured in a game-high 30 points. Gavin Thurman added 21 points for the Jets.
 
The Hillcats (14-3 overall, 6-3 HC) continue their four-game roadtrip on Saturday at Oklahoma Christian in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. from the Eagles' Nest and can be heard live on the Hillcat Network at www.rsuhillcats.com/live and on the airwaves of RSU Radio 91.3 FM