OKLAHOMA CITY-The Rogers State men's basketball team held on for a dramatic, 77-74, victory over Oklahoma Christian on Thursday night at the Eagles Nest.
OC used a 7-1 run to cut the RSU lead to one point with a minute to play. RSU ran the clock down and Damion Hooks hit a crucial jumper from the free throw line with the shot clock winding down to give the Hillcats a three-point advantage with 20 seconds to play. OC's Kendre Talley stormed down the court and converted a layup with 14 seconds to play to cut the RSU lead to one point but RSU ran the clock down to eight seconds before Hooks was fouled. The senior from Tulsa, Okla. drained a pair of bonus free throws and Talley's three-pointer at the buzzer was well defended and off line to seal the RSU win.
The Hillcats trailed 38-36 at intermission. OC held the lead throughout the first half and pushed the advantage to as many as nine points but the Hillcats battled back to tie the game with under two minutes to play in the stanza. The Eagles grabbed the final bucked of the half to take the lead into the locker room at the half.
The Hillcats took over in the second stanza, taking their first lead of the game with 16 minutes to play thanks to a J.C. Hartzler three-pointer. With seven minutes to play, RSU pushed its advantage to nine points with an 11-1 run. However, OC wouldn't go quietly as the Hillcats escaped with the win.
Hooks led the Hillcats to victory with 21 points while Hartzler tallied 17 points and Robinson Odoch Opong added 12 points. The Hillcats out-rebounded OC, 32-28.
Jordan VanDeKop led five OC players in double digit scoring with 17 points. The Eagles shot 54 percent from the field ahnd 52 percent from long distance.
With the win the Hillcats sweep the series against Heartland Conference foe OC. The Hillcats are holding down third place in the conference standings, one game behind UA-Fort Smith.
Rogers State (15-8, 10-5 HC) returns to action on Saturday as the Hillcats travel to Dallas Baptist at 2 p.m. The game will be streamed on the Hillcat Network www.rsuhillcats.com/live and on RSU Radio 91.3 FM.
For more information about RSU Basketball, visit www.rsuhillcats.com.
