TULSA, Okla. – The Rogers State men's team stayed with NCAA Division I Oral Roberts until late when the Golden Eagles pulled away for a 87-76 victory on Monday (Nov. 14) at the Mabee Center. The contest was an exhibition game for the Hillcats, but counted as the regular season home opener for ORU.
 
The Hillcats trailed by only one in the second half, but a late 15-4 spurt by ORU pushed the margin to 87-71 before RSU scored the final five points for the final 87-76 score.
 
After a slow start due to early turnovers, the Hillcats battled back to only be down by three, 42-39, at halftime.
 
The host Golden Eagles built an early 13-4 advantage after the Hillcats committed four turnovers in the first four minutes. A 3-pointer by ORU pulled the Golden Eagles to the 13-4 margin.
 
Jeylyn Sharpe cut into the lead with a pullup jumper from 15 feet to close to five points at 21-16 with 10 minutes left in the half.
 
Trailing by seven at 34-27, Jordan Huffman got back-to-back baskets to decrease the deficit to three. His steal and breakaway layup made it 34-31with 2:48 left in the first half.
 
Travis Hester had a rare four-point play as he hit a 3 from the top of the key and was fouled. The senior hit the free throw for a 40-37 score. The Hillcats trailed by only three, 42-39, at the half.
 
After  ORU extended the lead to nine at 58-49, JD Tisdale started to get going with a layup and a driving dunk for a 59-53 score. Hester hit two consecutive 3-pointers to cut the deficit to one at 60-59 with 10:28 remaining.
 
ORU's Jalen Bradley scored six-straight points for a 66-60 advantage for the Golden Eagles. Kyler Ng came right back to hit a 3 from the wing for a 66-63 score.
 
Bradley hit again with a 3 for a 69-63 advantage. The Hillcats stayed close at 69-65 after a layup by Tavian Davis, but ORU went on the run to pull away for the win.
 
Hester scored a team-high 20 points, hitting 5-of-9 3-pointers. Sharpe and Huffman added 12 points, and Sharpe pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.
 
ORU's Bradley and Albert Owens posted game high in points with 21. Emmanuel Nzekwesi grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds.
 
The Hillcats finished shooting 42.4 percent (25-59) from the field, including 48.1 percent in the second half (13-27). The navy and red tallied a 42.9 percent night from behind the 3-point line.
 
The Golden Eagles shot 46.2 percent (30-65) from the field.
 
The Hillcats (1-1) return to regular season action on Wednesday (Nov. 16) hosting in-state rival Northeastern State at the Claremore Expo Center. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. with coverage available on the Hillcat Network at www.rsuhillcats.com/live.