AUSTIN, Texas – St. Edward's snapped a Rogers State seven game win streak and handed the Hillcats its worst loss of the season as the Hilltoppers topped RSU, 91-71, inside the Recreation and Convocation Center Saturday afternoon.
 
After trailing by four points at halftime, RSU remained within striking distance with 14:47 remaining as Jeylyn Sharpe knocked in an and-one opportunity. SEU's John Gramlich would make a layup at the other end and kickstart a 15-1 run for the Hilltoppers over the next 4:21. RSU went 1-of-2 from free throw and was held to just five field goal attempts while committing two turnovers and six fouls during the stretch as SEU took a 68-50 advantage.
 
Chase Littlejohn made his first of two 3-pointers in the game to pull RSU within 14 points with 8:08 remaining but that was the closest the Hillcats would get to the Hilltoppers for the remainder of the game. SEU would build the lead to as high as 23 points in the final three minutes of a 91-71 victory over the Hillcats.
 
SEU led start to finish against the Hillcats as the Hilltoppers built 20-7 lead in the opening 7:25 of the game. The 13 point advantage wouldn't last long as Travis Hester would hit the first of three 3-pointers for the senior to start a 15-6 run for the Hillcats capped by a pair of free throws by Baron Smith Jr as RSU trailed 25-23 with 7:19 remaining in the first half.
 
The Hillcats never trailed by more than eight points the remainder of the second half as RSU closed out the half with five unanswered points to trail 41-37 at the break.
 
JD Tisdale led the Hillcats in scoring for the second consecutive game as the senior guard totaled 18 points. Baron Smith Jr. added 12 points while Littlejohn chipped in a season-high 11 points for the Stilwell, Okla. native.
 
Sharpe finished with 16 points as the senior forward fouled out, for the second consecutive game, with 7:01 remaining. The Ketchum, Okla. native is just 12 points shy of Sylvester Spicer on the career points list for second in program history. Sharpe pulled down 11 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season.
 
St. Edward's (17-12, 9-7 HC) saw five players score in double-figures led by Gramlich with 25 points. The Hilltoppers shot 53 percent from the field including 56 percent in the second half. SEU went 6-of-16 from behind the arc and 84 percent from free throw. SEU forced RSU into 18 turnovers leading to 19 points off-turnovers for the Hilltoppers.
 
The 20 point loss was the worst this season since an 18 point loss in the second game of the season to Midwestern State for RSU. The last time the Hillcats suffered a loss of 20 points or more was just over a year ago at Lubbock Christian as the Chaps bested the Hillcats 99-70 on Feb. 13, 2016. RSU followed that loss with a four-game win streak to close out the season and claim the Heartland Conference regular season title.
 
Rogers State (19-8, 12-5 HC) will close out the regular season with a road contest at UA Fort Smith on Saturday, February 25 at 3 p.m. inside the Stubblefield Center with a share of the Heartland Conference regular season championship on the line. The game will broadcast on RSU Radio 91.3 FM and the Hillcat Network will carry the action at www.rsuhillcats.com/live.