AUSTIN, Texas – The Rogers State men's basketball team used a 52-point second half to cruise to an 88-71 victory at St. Edward's on Thursday at the Recreation and Convocation Center.
 
RSU started the game strong as J.C. Hartzler hit a three-pointer on the first possession. After a basket from SEU, Robert Johnson scored on a tip in for a 5-2 advantage.
 
The fast start continued to the Hillcats as they gained a 31-16 lead with 8:19 left in the first half after a Donald Moore triple. The 15-point lead was the largest of the first half for RSU.
 
The host Hilltoppers cut into the margin and trailed by only five points, 34-29, at halftime. SEU ended the first half with a 13-3 run.
 
To start the second half, it was all SEU. The Hilltoppers went up 36-34 on a three-pointer with 18:06 left. SEU started the second half with a quick 7-0 spurt in less than two minutes.
 
The lead lasted only 19 seconds as Jeylyn Sharpe tied the score at 36-36 with 17:47 remaining. The jumper started a 12-0 run for the Hillcats as they built a 46-36 advantage with 15:57 left. After Sharpe scored, Johnson hit a layup and was fouled. He hit the free throw for a 39-36 score. Hartzler doubled the lead to 42-36 with a trey, and Sharpe ended the run with back-to-back layups for the 46-36 score.
 
RSU held a comfortable lead through the rest of the second half. In the final five minutes, the Hillcats pushed the margin out to 20 points with most of those points coming from Moore. He started with a three to up the advantage to 76-63. After SEU points, Moore added two free throws, and Hartzler hit a jumper for an 80-65 score. Sharpe put in a layup with 2:24 remaining for an 82-68 lead. Moore scored the final six points to build an 88-78 advantage. The Hilltoppers hit a late three for the 88-71 final score.  
 
The Hillcats were hot from the field, hitting 32-of-56 shots for 57.1 percent. In the second half, RSU shot 63.3 percent (19-30). From three-point distance, RSU went 10-of-21 shooting for 47.6 percent, including 62.5 percent (5-8) in the second half.
 
Moore finished with a game-high 21 points. He went 8-for-8 shooting from the free throw line and hit three triples. He added six assists. A total of five Hillcats hit double figures. Hartzler tallied 16 points with four threes. Sharpe and Johnson each scored 12 points, and Johnson totaled a double-double with a game-high 10 rebounds. Coming off the bench, Jordan Hoffman finished with 11 points.
 
The RSU defense held the Hilltoppers to 38.3 percent (23-60) from the field and only 25.9 percent (7-27) from three. The Hillcats pulled down 46 rebounds to dominate on the glass as SEU finished with 25 rebounds.
 
RSU (16-3 overall, 8-3 HC) finishes its four-game road stretch at Texas-Permian Basin on Saturday in Odessa, Texas. Start time is schedule for 3 p.m. inside the Falcon Dome with coverage available on the Hillcat Network at www.rsuhillcats.com/live.