CLAREMORE, Okla. - St. Gregory's gave Rogers State all it could handle for 20 minutes Saturday night inside the Claremore Expo.

In the end, the Hillcats had too many weapons as they shot down the Cavaliers, 82-71, with a solid second half performance. RSU trailed by as many as 10 points before coming alive late. The Cats shot 58 percent in the second half, including 6 of 10 from 3-point range, to push their conference record back over the .500 mark at 9-8.

SGU used an 11-2 spurt midway through the first half to grab its first lead, 18-17. The Cavs extended the advantage to nine on a jumper by Jade Carter with just over a minute to play in the period. Carter led all scorers with 23 points on the night. A driving bucket by Reggie Burnett beat the halftime horn and brought RSU to within seven at the break. 

The Cavaliers opened up a 10 points lead when Fayzon Richey drained a trey to begin the second half. However, it was all Hillcats after that. RSU went on a 25-5 run over the next eight minutes and lead comfortably the rest of the night. Deveric Taylor knocked down three 3-pointers during the run and finished with 15 points. Matt Kellogg chipped in with four treys of his own while Sylvester Spicer led RSU with 19 points and a career-high three blocks.

Junior center Theo Davis recorded his first double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. The former Gonzaga player also recorded a game-high four assists. Richey joined Carter in double figures for the Cavaliers with 14 points. SGU shot 47 percent in the first half before cooling considerably in the second stanza. The Cats held the Cavs to only eight field goals after the intermission.

Rogers State (16-9, 9-8) snapped a two-game losing skid with the victory and moved to within a half game of fifth place in the Sooner Athletic Conference standings. The Hillcats will travel to Chickasha, Okla., Monday night to face USAO. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. and the game will be carried live on RSU Radio 91.3 FM.