CLAREMORE, Okla. - Rogers State waited until the final lap to finally put its foot on the gas Saturday afternoon. The third-ranked Hillcats reeled off a 25-0 run late in the second half and left Mid-America Christian (Oklahoma City, Okla.) in their rearview mirror for an 89-62 win at the Claremore Expo.
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Junior Eric Young scored 11 of his team-high 18 points during the six-minute scoring barrage. A highlight reel alley-oop by Young on a pass from Roderick Rodgers off the backboard put an exclamation point on dominating six-minute stretch by the Cats. RSU outscored the Evangels, 48-23 in the second half to closeout a 2-0 week.
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MACU gave the Hillcats all they could handle for the first 30 minutes of the contest. The Evangels led three different times in the first half and only trailed 41-39 at the break. Brandon Williams scored 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting in the first half. Tyron Goldsmith added 15 of his game-high 20 points in the second frame to keep hope alive for MACU.
Goldsmith grabbed a 49-47 lead for the Evangels with a 3-pointer at the 16:32 mark. RSU quickly reclaimed the lead, but Goldsmith brought his team back to within four with a pair of free throws with just over eight minutes remaining. However, the Evangels next points wouldn't come until inside the two minute mark as the Hillcats put together their largest scoring run of the season.
Young led five players in double figures for RSU. Senior Aldric Reynolds tallied 16 points and sophomore Deveric Taylor added 13. Roderick Rodgers posted his third double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds while Abram Donlon added 10 points. RSU boasted 19 assists compared with just 12 turnovers and shot 46 percent from the floor on the afternoon.
Rogers State (15-1, 9-1) maintained its grasp on first place in the Sooner Athletic Conference standings with the victory. The Hillcats remain at the home next week as they welcome USAO (Chickasha, Okla.) to the Claremore Expo Thursday night. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. and the first 500 fans through the gate will receive a free pom-pom courtesy of the RSU athletic department. The game will be aired live on RSU Public Television and RSU Radio 91.3 FM.
