LAS VEGAS – Rogers State men's basketball (5-5) took No. 5 West Texas A&M (10-1) to the limit in the final game of the High Desert Classic but couldn't complete the upset in the 108-100 overtime thriller.

Five Hillcats finished in double figures in the game. Evan Anderson led all scorers as he put up a career-high 25 points to go with four rebounds, five assists and a steal as well as shooting 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Isaac Johnson added 19 points with five rebounds and three assists. Kofi Hamilton posted 16 points with five rebounds and an assist. Anthony Marshall Jr. posted 13 points with four rebounds, four assists and a block. Sam Davidson contributed 10 points with four assists, two steals and a rebound. 

After both teams struggled to make a shot in the first two minutes, the Buffaloes took control with an early 8-3 lead. The Hillcats responded as they ripped off a 16-5 run to take a 19-13 lead. WT again answered back and took their first double digit lead of the game at 33-23 with 8:48 left in the half. RSU battled back and cut the deficit to two points at 38-36, but the Buffaloes pushed the lead back out with a 10-1 run to carry a 48-37 advantage into the break.

WT held on to their momentum as they opened the second half on a 8-3 run to take their largest lead at 56-40. The Hillcats slowly began to mount a comeback as they went to work trimming the deficit. They finally got the margin back down to single digits at 83-74 with just under five minutes left. They kept working with a layup from Kofi Hamilton with 24 second left tied the game at 91-91 and sent it to overtime.

The two sides went back and forth in the early moments of the overtime period with two lead changes and a tie. Unfortunately, WT came out on top as they went on an 11-3 run to reclaim the lead 106-98 and managed to hang on for the 108-100 win.

The Hillcats will now take a break for the holidays and return to action on Thursday, Dec. 4 with the start of a two-game MIAA homestand as they face off against Missouri Western. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.