CLAREMORE, Okla.-The Rogers State men's basketball team came away with a 71-64 win over Newman (Kan.) in the Hillcats' inaugural Heartland Conference contest at the Claremore Expo on Monday night.

RSU's first conference win was a battle from wire-to-wire. Both teams struggled offensively out of the gate with the Jets finally breaking the scoreless tie with a layup Marquis Cuyler at the 17:47 mark. RSU fought back and took its first lead of the night with a pair of made free throws by J.C. Hartzler that sparked an 8-0 run to take a 13-6 lead. The Hillcats hung onto the advantage for the remainder of the frame and led by as many as 13 in the opening stanza, taking a 36-27 lead into the locker room at intermission.

RSU clung to a single digit lead throughout the second half. Ryan McCarthy cut the deficit to one points with 18 minutes to play in the half but RSU answered with a 9-2 run that included triples from Robinson Odoch Opong, Hartzler and Jerry Dixon.

Cuyler cut the deficit to 54-52 with a pair of made free throws with five minutes to play but freshman Jeylyn Sharpe quickly gave the Hillcats some breathing room with a conventional 3-point play. RSU was 12-of-16 from the charity stripe in the final four minutes of the contest to seal the win.

Opong led the Hillcats with 16 points and seven rebounds. Hartzler and Damien Hooks added 14 points apiece while Dixon rounded out the double digit scorers with 13 points. RSU edged the battle on the boards, 39-37.

Cuyler led the Jets with 12 points. He was the lone Newman player to finish in double digits scoring.

Rogers State (6-2, 1-0) will take a take an 11-day hiatus before returning to the court on Dec. 14 as the Hillcats host East Central at 4 p.m. The game will be streamed live on the Hillcat Network at www.rsuhillcats.com/live and on RSU Radio 91.3 FM.