CLAREMORE, Okla. – The Rogers State men's basketball team erased an early 8-0 deficit and pulled away in the second half for a 70-55 victory over Lubbock Christian on Wednesday (Jan. 10) at the Claremore Expo Center.
 
The Chaps (6-10, 2-3 Heartland) scored the opening eight points to take an 8-0 advantage in the first two minutes of the game forcing RSU to take an early timeout.
 
LCU gained its largest lead of the game at 21-12 after a 3-pointer from Marcos Schuster with 11:28 left in the first half.
 
The navy and red (11-5, 2-2) tallied the next seven points of the game to cut the deficit to two at 21-19 at the 5:59 mark of the first half. Tate Turner hit back-to-back jumpers to start the 7-0 spurt. Baron Smith Jr. sank a basket for a 21-18 score, and Saint Hilaire made one of two free throws for the 21-19 score.  
 
After Chase Littlejohn tied the score with a free throw to make it 30-30, Smith put RSU up for the first time in the game with a layup in the closing seconds of the first half for a 32-30 score at halftime.
 
In the second half, the Cats pushed the margin out to nine points with a Gage Loy 3-pointer from the top of the key for a 45-36 score with 14:59 remaining.
 
The Chaps got as close as four points late in the second half, but RSU hit free throws to extend the lead back out to 10 at 63-53 at the 2:28 mark. The Cats made free throws in the final minute to pull away for the 70-55 victory.
 
Hilaire had his second straight double-double with 12 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. Smith scored a game-high 17 points, and Turner poured in 15 points. The Hillcats shot 41.5 percent (22-53) from the floor.
 
LCU's Brennan Fowler went for a double-double of 12 points and 14 rebounds. Kentton Williams hit double figures with 14 points, and Schuster added 10 points. The Chaps finished at 37.7 percent (20-53) shooting from the field.
 
The Hillcats travel to St. Edward's on Saturday (Jan. 13) for a 3 p.m. contest in Austin, Texas. Radio coverage will be available on the Hillcat Network and 91.3 FM.