OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - The Rogers State men's basketball team wasn't able to channel the 'Cardiac Cats' on Saturday evening as it dropped its second game of the week to Mid-America Christian 73-67 at the Gaulke Activity Center.
Senior Charlie Shorter scored a game-high 30 points to lead the Evangels past RSU for the first time in program history. The win marked the Evangels (6-7, 1-7) first Sooner Athletic Conference victory of the season.
For the second time this week, it came down to the wire. RSU trailed for most of the game however, with 8:30 to play the Hillcats started to make a comeback. Kenny Edwards sunk a pair of free throws to give RSU a one point lead. Reggie Davis matched the free tosses at the other end of the court and added a jumper after a RSU miscue to give the Evangels a three point cushion. Edwards used a conventional three point play to knot the score at 59-59 but that was as close as the Hillcats would get to the lead. MACU left the door wide open down the stretch, converting 9-of-22 from the free throw line in the second half. However, the Hillcat offense could not find a rhythm.
Coach Justin Barkey's squad cut the deficit to one point with 1:33 to play but the Evangels finished the game on a 5-0 run to seal the win.
The Hillcats shot just 22 percent from behind the arc, well below their season average of 41 percent. RSU shot 38 percent from the field and 76 percent from the charity stripe. The Cats blocked five shots and swiped seven steals but ended the night with 26 turnovers.
Three Hillcats reached double-digits scoring, led by Edwards with 17 points. Donald Williams added 16 points and Alex Ewings tallied 11 points.
Two Evangels joined Shorter in double-figure scoring. Reggie Davis scored 18 points and Brandon Williams contributed 10 points for MACU. The Evangels went 4-for-10 from long distance and shot 48 percent from the field. They converted just 11-of-27 shots from the charity stripe.
Rogers State (13-2, 6-2) will look to return to its winning ways on Thursday as the Hillcats travel to Oklahoma Christian. The game is slated for 8 p.m. and live audio will be provided at www.rsuhillcats.com/live.
