SHAWNEE, Okla. - Rogers State could do no wrong Thursday night as the Hillcats dismantled St. Gregory's to record their fourth straight conference victory at W. P. Wood Fieldhouse in Shawnee, Okla.
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RSU torched the nets with 14 3-pointers to win going away, 90-56. Deveric Taylor led four Cats in double figures with 19 points.
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The Hillcats opened the game on a 9-0 run and the rout was on. Back-to-back treys by Taylor and Matt Kellogg gave RSU a 27-12 lead at the midway point of the first half. Theo Davis followed with a long jumper for his first career points. The 6-10 center scored five points and added three rebounds before fouling out in his team debut.
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Joey Twilley slammed home an alley-oop in the final minute of the first half to give the Hillcats a 19-point advantage at the break. Twilley went wild in the second half, scoring 11 straight points in a two-minute span. He finished with a career-high 16 points on 6 of 7 shooting.
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RSU quickly surged ahead by 30 points and led comfortably for the entire second period. Kellogg dropped in 11 points while Lance Sullivan stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points, eight rebounds, six assists and five steals. John Boyd just missed a double-double with nine points and nine boards.
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The Hillcats shot 49 percent from the floor and drilled 14 of 27 shot attempts from 3-point range. SGU struggled to score against a tenacious RSU defense. The Cavs shot just 33 percent and were led in scoring by Jade Carter with 14 points. St. Gregory's dropped to 5-8 overall and 0-8 in conference play.
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Rogers State (11-5, 4-4) moved into sole possession of fifth place in the Sooner Athletic Conference standings with the victory. The Hillcats will return home to host third-ranked Oklahoma Baptist Saturday at the Claremore Expo. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. and the game will be carried live on RSU Public Television and RSU Radio 91.3 FM.
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The first 500 fans will receive a free Hillcat "Rally Towel" courtesy of the RSU athletic department.