CLAREMORE, Okla. – Five Hillcats scored in double figures as the Rogers State men's basketball team cruised to a 100-45 victory on homecoming over Central Christian (Kan.) on Saturday (Nov. 18) afternoon at the Claremore Expo Center. The win was the Cats' third straight to move to 3-1 on the season.
The Hillcats posted the first 11 points of the game and pushed the margin to 20 points only nine minutes into the contest en route to the dominating victory. Gage Loy hit a 3-pointer at the 11:29 mark of the first half for a 28-7 advantage. The Cats' edge was 38 points at half at 55-17.
RSU outscored the Tigers in the second half by a margin of 45-28 for the final score of 100-45.
Don Leak made two free throws with one minute remaining to put the Cats at the century mark at 100-43. CCC tallied a late basket for the final margin.
Junior guard
Chase Littlejohn had a career day with a game-high 20 points as he hit six 3-pointers, the fifth-most triples in a game in RSU school history. As a team, the 13 3-pointers made ranks ninth all-time in school history.
The starting backcourt of Tate Turner and
Baron Smith Jr. each registered 12 points in limited time. Turner shot 5-of-8 from the field and added a block and three steals. Smith hit two 3s and went 4-for-6 shooting in only 15 minutes. Freshman Brewster Peacock went for 12 points as well in only 14 minutes off the bench. The final Cat in double digits was Saint Hilaire with 11 points, and he added a game-high five assists. Loy pulled down a game-high nine rebounds in only 15 minutes. As a team, RSU pulled down 53 rebounds to rank fifth in the RSU school records.
For the game, the navy and red shot 51.4 percent (37-72) from the field and 46.3 percent (13-28) from 3. All 12 Hillcats scored in the game with everyone playing at least nine minutes.
CCC's TJ Williams posted a team-high 14 points in 16 minutes off the bench. Paul Ard II added 12 points for the Tigers. The visiting Tigers shot 26.7 percent (16-60) from the field.
The Hillcats go on the road for two contests before Thanksgiving. The stretch starts with a trip to Southwestern Oklahoma State on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. game in Weatherford, Okla. The Cats then play an exhibition game at North Texas on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Denton, Texas. Audio coverage will be available for both games on the Hillcat Network and on 91.3 FM.
