TULSA, Okla. – Rogers State men's basketball (4-2) fell 81-70 in the final exhibition game of the season against Division I Oral Roberts (4-3) on Sunday.
 
Three Hillcats finished in double figures on the afternoon. Isaac Johnson led RSU with 12 points to go with two rebounds, two assists and a steal. Sherwyn Devonish-Prince Jr. added 11 points with two rebounds, two assists and a steal. Chris Whitaker posted 10 points with two rebounds and a block. Joey Saracco contributed eight points with a team-high six rebounds and a steal.
 
The first half was an extremely back-and-forth affair with 11 lead changes and eight ties. After the Golden Eagles opened with a 4-2 lead, RSU went on a 6-0 run to take a 8-4 lead with five minutes in. With 10 minutes left in the period, the two teams traded the lead six times in three minutes with the Hillcats coming out on top 21-20. They managed to hold the lead for the remainder of the half until ORU went back up 36-34 with a jump shot and 1:02 left. However, a three-pointer from Ugo Obineke put the Hillcats on top 37-36 going into the break.
 
RSU retained the momentum out of the locker room as Chris Whitaker drained a jumper 23 seconds into the period to increase the margin to 39-36. Unfortunately, the Golden Eagles took over from there as they went on a 15-5 run to reclaim a 52-44 lead. RSU fought to keep it close for a while, but ORU put the game away by pushing their advantage out to its largest at 76-59 with 4:42 left. However, the Hillcats refused to stop fighting and managed to cut the lead to 81-70 at the end of regulation with Isaac Johnson sinking a shot from downtown with 22 seconds left.
 
The Hillcats will be back in action on Thursday, Dec. 2 as they begin MIAA play with a two-game road trip beginning in Kearney, Neb. with a matchup against Nebraska-Kearney. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.