WICHITA, Kan. – Rogers State men's basketball (0-2) dropped a heartbreaker 86-84 to Concordia-St. Paul (1-1) to close out the MIAA/NSIC Regional Challenge on Sunday.
 
Five Hillcats finished in double figures in the game. Isaac Johnson led RSU with 20 points to go with five rebounds, five assists and a block. Kofi Hamilton added 16 points with four rebounds and two assists. Caden Fry posted his first double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds as well as four assists. Both Rodney Battle and Sam Davidson contributed 10 points with Battle adding three rebounds, three assists and a steal with Davidson adding four rebounds and an assist.
 
The Hillcats got off to a slow start as the Golden Bears opened the game on a 9-2 run. However, they found their footing and dashed back with a 13-5 run of their own to take the lead 15-14 with just under 13 minutes left in the half. Things grew tight from there with 13 lead changes and four ties over the remainder of the period. Neither team was able to gain more than a four-point lead in that span, but RSU came out on top with a slim 46-45 advantage going into the break.
 
The second half began much the same way the first ended with four lead changes and two ties in the first six minutes. After CSP took the lead at 57-55 with 14:17 left, the Hillcats could not seem to find the momentum to climb back on top despite tying the game three more times down the stretch. In the final seven minutes, the Golden Bears went 7-for-11 from the field with three made threes and went 5-for-6 from the charity stripe to put the game away 86-84.
 
RSU will be back in action on Wednesday, Nov. 15 for the home opener against Cameron inside the Claremore Expo Center. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.