SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Rogers State completed a successful holiday road trip with an 87-79 victory over Bellevue University (Bellevue, Neb.) Sunday afternoon at the Trip Sports San Antonio Shootout.
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Senior Roderick Rodgers scored 16 second half points to lead the Hillcats past the Bruins in the final game of the four-day basketball event in San Antonio, Texas. RSU outscored Bellevue 20-11 over the final 4:30 to keep its perfect record intact. The Cats 6-0 start surpasses the five-game win streak they posted to begin the 2007-08 season.
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The Bruins, ranked No. 23 in NAIA Division II, gave RSU all it could handle in the weekend finale. The Hillcats held a seven point advantage midway through the first half, but Bellevue cut the lead to one at the break. Davon White gave the Bruins the lead with a 3-pointer at the 17:26 mark of the second half and the game became a seesaw battle from there.
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The second stanza featured seven ties and four lead changes. Bellevue led by as many as six points before the Hillcats clawed their way back for good. Freshman Scottie Farrington followed a missed shot by Deveric Taylor with a hard dunk to give RSU a 69-68 lead with 4:10 remaining. Aldric Reynolds picked up a steal and a layup on the ensuing possession and the Cats never looked back.
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The Bruins held on to hope when Rodgers fouled out with 2:11 left after posting 18 points and 10 rebounds. However, Reynolds responded with a driving bucket and Eric Young added a tip-in to make it 81-73 with 1:30 to play. Reynolds matched Rodgers' 18 points while Young contributed 14 points and six rebounds.
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The Hillcats shot a season-high 50 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Bruins 41-34. Ron King led Bellevue with 20 points in the contest.
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No. 20 Rogers State (6-0) improved to 5-0 in non-conference action with the weekend sweep. The Hillcats return to Sooner Athletic Conference play with a pair of home games this week. RSU will host Lubbock Christian Thursday at the Claremore Expo. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. and the game will be carried live on RSU Public Television and RSU Radio 91.3 FM.
