SHAWNEE, Okla. - Rogers State trailed Oklahoma Baptist from the opening minute and couldn't claw its way back as the Hillcats fell 69-56 to the Bison at the Noble Athletic Complex in Shawnee Thursday.
 

OBU jumped out to an 8-1 lead and led wire-to-wire to claim an important conference win in the final week of the regular season. The two teams entered the night tied for fourth place in the Sooner Athletic Conference standings. At night's end the Bison had moved into a tie for third place while the Hillcats fell to fifth.
 

The Hillcats kept things tight early in the contest. Maurice Rutherford scored on a nice drive to the hoop to cut the Bison lead to 11-9 at the midway point of the first half. The Bison answered with a 7-0 run and held at least a two possession advantage the rest of the way. RSU couldn't get over the hump despite shooting 46-percent from the field for the game. Aldric Reynolds and Abram Donlon tallied 14 points apiece for the Cats. However, team scoring leaders Bryson Krueger and Roderick Rodgers combined for just 11 points.
 

The OBU lead lingered between five and 10 points for most of the night. Reynolds made it 39-34 on a layup with 15:35 to play in the game. The Bison scored 12 of the next 16 points and eventually grew the lead to 16 points. The Hillcats had their chances to make a late charge but were plagued by poor free throw shooting. RSU made only 7-of-19 free throw attempts for a season-low 37-percent.
 

Brent Jones led all scorers with 21 points while Brian Hill and Al Moore chipped in with 13 apiece. OBU (21-8, 13-8) leaped into a tie with Wayland Baptist for third place in the conference standings.
 

Rogers State (17-10, 12-9) dropped into a tie with Northwestern Oklahoma State for fifth place, one game behind OBU and WBU with one game to play. The Hillcats will close out the regular season Saturday at St. Gregory's. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. and the game will be carried live on RSU Radio 91.3 FM.