CLAREMORE, Okla. - Rogers State men's basketball (21-9, 12-6 MIAA) lit up archrival Northeastern State (14-13, 8-10 MIAA) in an electric 81-74 win on Wednesday.
 
"I really liked how we moved the ball tonight and we were pretty efficient on offense with only 10 turnovers," said Head Coach Justin Barkley. "Benard hitting four threes and Bryce hitting two of his own lifted our team. Angus also stepped up big with Caden and Andrew in foul trouble."
 
Benard Omooria led RSU with 14 points, shooting 4-for-7 from deep. Both Jabryn Anderson and Andrew Mason put up 13 points with Anderson adding three rebounds, two blocks and an assist, while Mason added two rebounds and two blocks of his own. Anthony Marshall Jr. dropped 12 points with a game-high seven assists as well as four rebounds and a steal. Caden Fry finished just two rebounds shy of a double-double with 10 points and eight boards. Sam Davidson dished out six assists and pulled down five boards.
 
The Hillcats got off to a slow start as the Riverhawks opened the game on an 8-0 run. However, RSU quickly found their footing and answered back with a 10-2 run of their own to knot things at 10 all at the first media timeout. From there, things remained close for the rest of the half with seven ties, five lead changes and neither side gaining more than a single possession advantage. However, RSU was able to come out on top as they closed out the period on a 7-2 run to carry a slim 39-37 lead into the break.
 
The Hillcats came out of the locker room on fire as they started the second half on a 24-11 run to take their largest lead of the game at 63-48 with just under 12 minutes left. The Riverhawks kept trying to battle back, but every time they would start to get closer, RSU would have a response. NSU tried to mount one final comeback down the stretch and got within three points with 15 seconds left. Thankfully, Omooria and Davidson were each able to knock down a pair of free throws to claim the 81-74 victory and stretch the current series win streak out to five straight.
 
RSU will be back in action on Saturday, March 1 as they face off against Arkansas-Fort Smith in the regular season finale on Senior Day.