CLAREMORE, Okla. - Rogers State men's basketball rallied from a halftime deficit to cling to a 73-72 victory over Lubbock Christian inside the Claremore Expo Thursday night.
The Chaparrals gained a five point lead with 16 minutes remaining in the first period. RSU tied LCU twice over the next four minutes before Lubbock Christian went on a 20-9 run in eight minutes. Clay Roberts and Al Duvall chipped in five a piece over the stretch as LCU held an 11 point lead for most of the remaining four minutes. The Hillcats were able to trim the Chaps lead with baskets from Larry Cox and John Boyd in the final minute putting the LCU lead at 40-33.
RSU was unable to crack the LCU lead for the first eight minutes of the second stanza before a Chris Francis four-point play gave the Hillcats a lead it wouldn't relinquish. Rogers State built its largest lead of six with just over 10 minutes remaining off a Taylor lay-up. The Cats and Chaps traded baskets over the next eight minutes with LCU coming within one point of RSU twice. A pair of free throws by Douglas Williams cut the score to 71-69 in favor of the Hillcats.
Deveric Taylor gave the Hillcats a four point advantage with just over a minute remaining with a layup. But Matt Read's conventional 3-point play sliced the RSU lead to one with 50 seconds left in the contest. An offensive rebound by Matt Kellogg off a Larry Cox 3-pointer with 15 seconds remaining gave the Hillcats an extended possession. Kellogg missed the front end of a bonus shot that bounced out of bounds giving the Chaparrals possession of the rock with four seconds left. Lubbock Christian's Douglas Williams got off a runner from beyond the 3-point line as time expired but the shot fell short and RSU came away with the victory, 73-72.
Lubbock Christian (10-5, 5-4) saw five players score double-figures, led in the point's column by Douglas Williams with 15. The Chaparrals went 10-of-25 from long distance but shot 57 percent from the charity stripe.
Boyd led the Hillcats in scoring with 19 points while Taylor added 17. Larry Cox rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12 while nabbing two steals. Coach Justin Barkley's squad was impressive from the free throw line hitting 73 percent on the night and was unselfish, dishing out 14 assists led by Taylor with five. The victory stretches the Hillcats to an 8-0 all-time record over Lubbock Christian.
Rogers State (9-7, 5-4) will finish off the week hosting Wayland Baptist with an afternoon affair on Saturday. The game will be carried on RSU Public Television and RSU Radio 91.3FM with a tip time of 3 p.m.
