SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. - In a foul laden affair the depth of the fifth-ranked Hillcats made the difference as the Rogers State men went on the road to beat John Brown 96-82 Saturday afternoon in Siloam Springs, Ark.

Whistles dictated the pace of play as the two teams combined for three technical fouls and 59 personal fouls.
RSU grabbed the lead off a Spencer Schrupp put back with 16:32 left in the first half and the Cats refused to relinquish the advantage the rest of the way.

The Hillcats were able to pull away midway through the first half by going on an 11-0 run. Fouled during a long-range shot, Matt Kellogg headed to the line and was able to knock down all three free throws to begin the RSU run. Kellogg also added one of his three makes from beyond the 3-point line during the rally. 

The Golden Eagles then went on their own 11 point run to cut the Hillcat lead to one at 24-23. However, the Cats closed out the half on an 18-10 tear to lead at intermission, 42-33.

RSU's reserves were big off the bench with 50 points, led by Kellogg's big day. The sophomore guard tallied 11 second half points and tied for a game high with 19, matching his career high. Eric Young chipped in with 15 points off the bench to go along with 8 rebounds. 

The Golden Eagles had four players in double figures for points led by senior guard Jarrett McGriff with 19. Junior forward Davaughn Jackson scored 16 for JBU but fouled out with 3:25 remaining in the game. By then the outcome had been decided as RSU led 88-70.

Head Coach Lloyd Williams' squad took advantage of its trips to the foul line in the first half by going nearly perfect hitting 19 of its 20 shots from the charity stripe. Senior guard Aldric Reynolds hit 7-of-8 from the free throw line and finished the game with 12 points.

Rogers State (9-0, 4-0) will break for the Holidays with its perfect record intact. The Hillcats will return to the court December 30th when Northeastern State will visit the Claremore Expo looking to avenge a 94-85 loss to RSU earlier in the season.