CLAREMORE, Okla. - The wait is finally over. Rogers State earned its first conference win of the season and made a strong statement with a 77-57 victory over Northwestern Oklahoma State Monday night at the Claremore Expo.
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Sylvester Spicer led the charge with an inspired performance. The senior forward tallied 24 points and 14 rebounds to help the Hillcats snap a four-game losing skid in Sooner Athletic Conference play.
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The Cats made a living at the free throw line with a performance for the record books. RSU converted all 18 of its free throw attempts in the first half and finished 34 of 40 from the charity stripe. Spicer set a team record by going 15 for 15 from the line. He eclipsed the previous record for free throws in a single game by three.
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The Hillcats raced out to a 23-7 lead over the first 11 minutes of the game. The Rangers briefly cut the deficit back down to single digits before a late run gave RSU a 35-18 advantage at the break. The lead peaked at 24 on Spicer's final free throw toss of the night with 6:20 remaining in the game. He promptly checked out of the contest for good with the outcome securely in hand.
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Northwestern was held to 33 percent shooting on the night and attempted just 15 free throws overall. RSU outrebounded the Rangers by 12 and cruised to the win despite committing 22 turnovers. Lance Sullivan joined Spicer in double figures with 12 points while Deveric Taylor added nine.
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In addition to being lights out at the line, Spicer produced his third double-double of the season. The Dallas native went 9 for 9 from the charity stripe against Oklahoma Christian Saturday night and has now converted 26 consecutive free throws dating back to Dec. 15.
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Rogers State (8-5, 1-4) will host its second home game of the week Thursday night as the Hillcats welcome Oklahoma City University to 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. RSU will also offer a free audio and video stream of the broadcast at www.rsuhillcats.com.
