OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – Rogers State men's basketball suffered its first loss to Oklahoma Christian since 2012 as the navy and red fell, 77-61, to the Eagles on Saturday (Feb. 3) at the Eagles' Nest.
The Hillcats came into today's game on an eight-game winning streak against the Eagles, including a four-game winning streak at the Eagles' Nest in Oklahoma City. The loss was the first time the Cats fell to OC since March 1, 2012 when the Eagles defeated the Hillcats, 83-77, in the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament.
After a close five minutes to start the game, the host Eagles went on a 10-0 run to push a slight 8-7 edge to 18-7 at the 12:37 mark after four points from OC's Jordan Box and two 3s from Connor Johnson and Abel Rodriguez. RSU closed to seven, but the Eagles extended the margin to the largest of the first half after a Box 3-pointer made it 28-13 with 8:17 remaining before halftime.
In the final three minutes before the half, RSU made a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 35-28 on a
Tavian Davis fastbreak layup. The Cats had a chance to pull to within five in the final seconds before halftime, but a missed layup led to a long heave from OC that somehow went in for a 38-28 halftime score.
A Davis 3-pointer with 15:47 remaining pulled the Cats to within four at 42-38, however, the Hillcats couldn't claw any closer, and OC's Box and Rodriguez made shots late to close out the game for the 77-61 score.
Box finished with a game-high 27 points and hit a game-high six 3-pointers as the Eagles totaled 12 triples as a team. Rodriguez came off the bench to add 16 points for OC.
Four Hillcats posted double figures in scoring with
Chase Littlejohn registering a team-high 13 points and added seven rebounds.
Saint Hilaire nearly totaled a double-double with 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Davis and Turner each added 10 points, and Turner had a game-high six assists.
RSU shot 39 percent (23-59) from the floor and the top 3-point shooting team in the conference shot only 24 percent from deep, going 6-of-25 from 3. The Cats struggled from the free throw line, finishing at 9-of-19 for 47.4 percent.
OC finished at 44.6 percent from the field and went 12-of-27 shooting from 3 for 44.4 percent. The Eagles sank eight 3s in the first half.
The Hillcats return home to play host to St. Edward's on Thursday (Feb. 8) at 7:30 p.m. inside the Claremore Expo Center. Follow the action on the Hillcat Network, RSU TV and on 91.3 FM.
