CLAREMORE, Okla. - Rogers State needed five extra minutes to extend its winning streak to a season-best six games as the Hillcats defeated USAO 84-79 in overtime at the Claremore Expo Thursday.
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RSU scored the first four points of overtime and never trailed the Drovers in the extra period. Chris Francis nailed a three from the corner with 3:07 to play in OT to make it 77-73 Hillcats. USAO cut the lead to one on a trey from DeAngelo Alexander, but the Drovers could muster only one more point the rest of the way.
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Bryson Krueger led RSU in scoring for a fourth consecutive game with 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting. The Hillcats briefly took control of the game late in the first half. Krueger buried his second trey of the first half with 2:20 remaining to put RSU in front 39-26. However, USAO closed the half on a 10-2 run and cut the lead to five as Dexter Williams beat the halftime buzzer with a long 3-pointer.
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The Drovers came out firing in the second half and took a 42-41 lead on a layup by Thomas Woods with 18:31 left to play. Krueger put the Cats back in front with four straight points and the two teams battled back and forth through a tight second half. There were five ties and seven lead changes in the second half alone. Eli Flores hit two free throws with 43 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 73-73. Both teams failed to convert a chance at the game winning shot and were forced to settle the outcome in overtime.
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RSU outscored the Drovers 11-6 in overtime while holding USAO to just two made field goals. The Hillcats shot 45-percent from the floor on the night and hit nine 3-pointers. Sylvester Spicer scored 17 points for RSU while Abram Donlon added 14 and Francis had 12. USAO's Tim Nelson led all scorers with 22 points.
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Rogers State (15-7, 10-6) moved into sole possession of fourth place in the Sooner Athletic Conference standings with the victory. The Hillcats will welcome No. 11 Southern Nazarene to the Claremore Expo Saturday. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. and the game will be carried live on RSU Public Television and RSU Radio 91.3 FM.
