CLAREMORE, Okla. - Rogers State simply would not be denied. The top ranked Hillcats willed their way past No. 2 Oklahoma Baptist for an 84-78 victory in front of a standing-room-only crowd of 2,156 Thursday night at the Claremore Expo.
 

With the victory RSU clinched at least a share of the Sooner Athletic Conference championship and completed the home portion of its schedule with a perfect 14-0 record. The Hillcats can win the SAC title outright with a win Saturday at St. Gregory's.
 

Junior Eric Young scored a career-high 26 points to lead the gutsy effort by the Cats. RSU absorbed the 1-2 punch of OBU's Brent Jones and Nate Brumfield and kept coming at the Bison. Brumfield led all scorers with 29 points while Jones added 24. The duo combined for 28 points at the free throw line as the game was marred by whistles and fouls.
 

RSU led by as many as 13 points in the second half before OBU trimmed the deficit down to six with 1:28 to go. The Hillcats methodically worked the clock on the ensuing possession and Young delivered the dagger, a wing 3-pointer, to push the lead to 80-71 with only 50 ticks remaining. Senior Aldric Reynolds buried two free throws in the waning moments to seal the win and a raucous crowd of RSU students flooded the court as time expired.
 

"We worked all season long for this moment and it's just really fun to finally get to enjoy it," said RSU Coach Lloyd Williams. "You always set goals at the beginning of a season, but as a coach you never know how realistic those goals really are. This (winning the SAC) was one of our goals and as we went through the season the kids really started to believe in it. It's really rewarding to see that goal realized."
 

The Bison certainly didn't make it easy for the Hillcats to see their goal come to fruition. The game mirrored the grudge match that unfolded in Shawnee six weeks earlier when OBU handed the Cats their only loss of the season. RSU was forced to grind it out as the game lost its rhythm early in the second half. The two teams combined for 37 fouls in the second half alone.
 

Brumfield made a living at the free throw in the second stanza by hitting 10-of-11 foul shots on his way to 20 second half points. The Hillcats held a three point lead at the half but fell behind 44-41 two minutes into the second frame. Sylvester Spicer reclaimed the lead for RSU with a jumper at the 16:11 mark and the Cats never relinquished the lead from there. Spicer stretched the lead to 13 with a strong bucket inside with 5:38 to play. Jones and Brumfield kept things interesting with a number of tough points down the stretch, but were unable to bring the Bison all the way back.
 

RSU shot 47 percent from the floor for the evening while holding OBU to 40 percent shooting. After being outrebounded 19-12 in the first half, the Hillcats worked the boards to a 24-15 advantage in the second period. Spicer joined Young in double figures with 15 points while Roderick Rodgers added 11.
 

RSU avenged its only loss of the season and broke OBU's school-record 21-game winning streak in the process. The Hillcat defense forced the Bison into 25 turnovers with the help of a hostile home crowd.
 

"The crowd tonight was just unbelievable," Williams said. "I played in the NCAA Tournament and this is the best environment I've ever seen."
 

Rogers State (26-1, 20-1) matched its longest winning streak with its 13th straight victory Thursday night. The Hillcats assured themselves of the No.1 seed in the SAC tournament next week and can wrap up the conference championship Saturday at St. Gregory's. Tip-off against the Cavaliers is scheduled for 8 p.m. and the game will be carried live on RSU Radio 91.3 FM.