SHAWNEE, Okla. - Something had to give at the Noble Complex Saturday night in Shawnee, Okla.
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Third ranked Rogers State entered as the only remaining undefeated team in the NAIA at 13-0. Conversely, No. 18 Oklahoma Baptist came in with a 13-game home winning streak.
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This time it was the Hillcats who blinked first as the Bison picked up a hard fought, 85-75 victory to move within a half game of RSU for first place in the Sooner Athletic Conference standings. Brent Jones and Nate Brumfield scored 24 points apiece to help OBU hold off a late RSU comeback.
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A pair of 8-0 runs in the first half put the Bison in front 41-28 at the break. OBU stretched the lead to 16 early in the second half by pounding the ball inside to Brumfield. Matt Kellogg cut it to 58-47 on a trey in transition with 12:31 left the game.
However, the Cats were unable to get the margin back to single digits until under the three-minute mark. Eric Young scored nine straight points for RSU to keep the Hillcats breathing. Sylvester Spicer followed with a 15-foot jumper to make it 77-68 with 2:11 remaining. Young hit two free throws to cut the lead to seven but the Cats committed turnovers on their next two possessions and the fumbled away any chance of a last minute comeback.
Spicer set a team single-game record with 25 points on the night. The Dallas native went 8-for-14 from the floor and converted 9-of-10 free throws in the contest. Young tallied 11 second half points and finished with 13. Chris Francis was the only other RSU player to reach double figures with 11.
RSU was held to a season-low 27 percent shooting in the first half and finished the night at 39 percent from the field. OBU countered by hitting 51 percent of its shots and outrebounded the Hillcats, 39-29. Garrett Steinmetz and Al Moore joined Jones and Brumfield in double figures with 15 and 11 points, respectively for the Bison.
Rogers State (13-1, 7-1) saw its 13-game winning streak snapped and fell to 2-2 all-time against OBU. The Hillcats will take four days off before hitting the road again Thursday. RSU will face two-time defending national champion Oklahoma City at Abe Lemons Arena. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. and the game will be carried live on RSU Radio 91.3 FM.
