CLAREMORE, Okla. - Rogers State awoke from a first half slumber in time to dash any dreams Oklahoma Christian had of pulling off an upset with a 70-56 victory in front of 1,126 fans Thursday night at the Claremore Expo.
 

The No. 1 Hillcats outscored the No. 17 Eagles by 13 in the second frame and held Jason Taylor, the leading scorer in the Sooner Athletic Conference, to just four second half points. Sophomore sharp-shooter Deveric Taylor led RSU with 18 points, including four 3-pointers.
 

The Cats fell behind 29-25 late in the first half after back-to-back buckets by Taylor and Jon Jonsson. RSU responded with six quick points and took a one-point lead into the locker room at halftime.
 

Coach Lloyd Williams' team started the second half on an 8-0 run capped by a Chris Francis trey. The lead ballooned to 21 points at the 6:41 mark of the second half when Taylor buried his fourth 3 of the night. After playing the Hillcats off their feet for the first 20 minutes, OC never threatened in the second period. RSU enjoyed a double digit lead for the final 11 minutes of the game.
 

Taylor was the only player to reach double figures for the Hillcats as Aldric Reynolds and Eric Young each posted nine points. Freshman Scottie Farrington enjoyed his most complete performance of the season with seven points and seven rebounds in 13 minutes of playing time.
 

Jason Taylor scored a game-high 18 points for the Eagles, nearly five points below his season average. David Jackson added 12 while Jeff Crocker had 10. RSU outrebounded OC, 39-26 and held the Eagles to under 40 percent shooting on the night. The Hillcats connected on nine 3-pointers and had 10 different players contribute in the scoring column.
 

Rogers State (20-1, 14-1) ran its winning streak to seven games and maintained its hold on first place in the SAC standings. The Hillcats will travel to Alva, Okla., Saturday to face Northwestern Okla. State. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. and the game will be carried live on RSU Radio 91.3 FM.