CLAREMORE, Okla. – The Rogers State men's basketball team needed a second-half rally to defeat Texas-Permian Basin 82-77 Thursday night at the Claremore Expo Center.
 
Getting a career-high 20 points from Jeylyn Sharpe, the Cardiac Cats struck again, coming back from a double-digit deficit for the third time in as many Heartland Conference games and remain undefeated at 11-0 this season. RSU trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half and used a strong defensive effort in the final 20 minutes to secure the home win.
 
Codye Hatcher, one of the league's top scorers, posted 10 of the Falcons' first 13 points and back-to-back triples pushed the UTPB lead into double figures, 23-13. Trailing 25-15, the Hillcats clawed back into the contest and took a 26-25 lead tallying 11-consecutive points.
 
Sharpe knocked down a triple and a pair of free throws ending the run with 5:22 to play in the half. The margin see-sawed back and forth through the final minutes and the Falcons closed the opening stanza in front 44-43. The half featured 10 tied scores and seven lead changes.
 
The Hillcats got a three-point play from Donald Moore to open the scoring in the second frame as neither team could wrestle control. The Falcons built a 66-60 edge at the 8:42 mark before stretching the margin to seven, 68-61.
 
Moore converted another three-point play starting a 13-point run for RSU to take a six-point advantage, 74-68, holding the Falcons scoreless for nearly four minutes. Sharpe added six points during the span and Robert Johnson pushed a mid-court steal into a tough bucket giving the Cats their largest lead of the night, 80-73.
 
RSU held on through the final buzzer for the 82-77 win extending its win streak to 11, while holding the Heartland Conference's top scoring offense to 17 points under their season average.
 
Sharpe's 20 points led the Hillcats on the night as the junior hit all nine free throw attempts. Moore added 18 points and Johnson and Corey Ayala also reached double figures with 13 and 11 points, respectively.
 
Hatcher paced all scorers and four UTPB players in double digits netting 24 points, shooting 12-of-16 from the floor, in just 20 minutes of action being limited by foul trouble. He added a game-high 10 rebounds as the Falcons held a 42-26 advantage on the glass.
 
RSU (11-0 overall, 3-0 HC) begins 2016 playing the final game in its program-long, seven-game home stand Jan. 2 hosting St. Edward's, a team receiving votes in the national poll. The game is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start at the Claremore Expo Center and can be viewed live on the Hillcat Network at www.rsuhillcats.com/live or heard on the airwaves of RSU Radio 91.3FM.