JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Rogers State men's basketball team picked up its fourth-straight win as the Hillcats defeated Lincoln 82-80 in a back-and-forth battle Thursday night in MIAA play.
The Hillcats (6-5, 6-5 MIAA) held off a late comeback bid from Lincoln (6-3, 6-3 MIAA), leading the final 2:29, as Rogers State handed the Blue Tigers their first home loss of the season.
How It Happened: The Hillcats led early before Lincoln hit three pointers on back-to-back trips to take a 12-10 lead. The Hillcats responded and went in front, only for the Blue Tigers to hit another three pointer followed by a jumper to go up 17-13.
The Hillcats tied the game up at 17 before Lincoln regained the lead.
Brewster Peacock hit a three pointer with 10:30 left in the half to put RSU up 22-21.
After a basket from the hosts,
Jett Sternberger hit a jumper to put RSU back in front and the Hillcats led the remainder of the half, taking a 45-40 lead into the break.
Devin Pullum hit a three pointer to begin the second half, putting the Hillcats up by eight. Rogers State would extend the lead to nine after a
Darraja Parnell three pointer put the Hillcats ahead 56-47.
Lincoln clawed back the Hillcat advantage and used a 7-0 run to take a 63-60 lead before Sternberger hit another three to tie the game at 63 with 5:25 remaining.
The teams then traded the possession or tied it eight times over the next three minutes. The Hillcats had three pointers from Pullum and Sternberger along with a three-point play from Parnell and another layup to put RSU up 74-72.
Following a steal from Parnell, Pullum hit another three pointer to go up 77-72.
Destin Eke would then sink two free throws before Lincoln rallied to cut the deficit to 79-77.
After Pullum sank a pair of free throws to make it 81-77, Lincoln hit a three pointer with 10.9 seconds left to cut the Hillcat lead to one.
After a foul, Sternberger then made one of two free throws to extend the lead to 82-80 but the Hillcats defended the Blue Tigers and kept Lincoln without a shot attempt as time expired.
Key Statistic: The Hillcats were 81 percent from the free throw line, going 13-for-16 from the stripe. Lincoln was just 66 percent from the free-throw line, going 6-for-9.
Players of Note: Sternberger led the Hillcats with a season high 23 points as he sank five three pointers. Sternberger added five rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. He also recorded a steal, extending his streak of games with a steal to seven.
Pullum overcame just two first half points to finish with 15 in the game. Pullum had a trio of three pointers and also added three assists, two rebounds and a steal.
Peacock helped get the Hillcats going early and finished with 13 points. The senior also had a trio of three pointers and also pulled down three rebounds. Peacock is now just 29 points from 1000 for his career.
Parnell rounded out the Hillcat scorers in double figures, finishing with 11 points and six rebounds. Parnell also had thee assists, two steals and a block.
Joey Saracco led the Hillcats on the glass, finishing with nine rebounds. He also had six points and a block.
Destin Eke had eight rebounds and also had eight points.
Notables: The Hillcats edged out Lincoln in rebounds 34-33 with Rogers State having a 10-6 advantage on the offensive glass.
Rogers State finished with 17 fast-break points compared to just seven from the Blue Tigers.
The Hillcats finished with 13 three pointers, shooting 50 percent for the game. Lincoln was 10-for-23, shooting 43.5 percent.
Lincoln finished the game with 52.5 percent shooting overall. Rogers State shot 44.4 percent overall from the field.
With the win, the Hillcats remain undefeated in 2021, picking up their fourth-straight win. The Hillcats are 5-1 over the last six games and above .500 for the first time this season.
Up Next: The Hillcats will remain on the road and stay in the state of Missouri for a matchup with Central Missouri on Saturday. The Hillcats will tip off with the Mules in their only meeting of the season at 3 p.m. at the "Multi", UCM's Multipurpose Building.
