EMPORIA, Kan. – After leading by as many as 11 points, Rogers State men's basketball (16-7, 7-4 MIAA) held off a late-charging Emporia State (6-14, 3-8 MIAA) to secure the 75-70 win on the road on Thursday.
 
"We are very happy with this win," said Head Coach Justin Barkley. "We seem to be making things close a lot recently, but that's just how it is in this league. I don't care if we win ugly or pretty, just as long as we finish in the right column. Our kids keep fighting. I keep saying it, but I could not be prouder of how this team has handled all the adversity that's been thrown at them!"
 
Four Hillcats finished in double figures on the night. Benard Omooria led the way as he tied his career-high with 17 points, going 3-for-7 from deep and a perfect 6-for-6 at the charity stripe. Jabryn Anderson put up 14 points with four rebounds and three assists. Anthony Marshall Jr. finished two boards shy of a double-double with 13 points and eight rebounds along with a team-high four assists and a block. Andrew Mason contributed 12 points, shooting 5-of-10 from the floor, with five boards and a block.
 
After a back-and-forth start to the game with three ties and two lead changes in the first five minutes, the Hillcats began to break away with back-to-back threes from Caden Fry and Omooria to push out to a 20-12 lead just over halfway through the period. However, the Hornets had an immediate answer as they used a 10-0 run to jump back in front 22-20 over a three-minute stretch. Things tightened up for the next few minutes as the two teams traded buckets. RSU regained the momentum as they went on a 12-0 run to take their largest lead of the half at 36-26 and held that margin, taking a 42-32 advantage into the break.
 
In the second half, ESU came alive as they opened the period on a 7-0 run to get within one possession at 42-39. The Hillcats were able to answer back though and pushed out to their largest lead of the game at 57-46 with 10:42 left. From there, the Hornets got hot and went to work trimming the deficit, getting it all the way down to one point at 67-66 with 1:49 remaining. After calling a timeout to regroup, RSU locked down on defense and made the most of their offensive possessions, outscoring ESU 8-3 down the stretch to secure the 75-70 victory.
 
The Hillcats will be back in action on Saturday, Feb. 1 as they travel to Wichita, Kan. for a meeting with longtime rival Newman. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m.