CLAREMORE, Okla. – In a thrilling overtime game, the Rogers State men's basketball team fell short to Rockhurst by the score of 95-87 on Saturday (Nov. 17) on homecoming at the Claremore Expo Center.
After being tied at 80-80 at the end of regulation, the visiting Hawks got hot from 3-point distance to pull away for the 95-87 overtime win.
Rockhurst went up 85-80 on its first 3-pointer of overtime after two early free throws.
Tavian Davis scored the first points of overtime for the Hillcats, but the Hawks came back with back-to-back triples by Connor Evans and Chris Hamil to make it 91-82 with 1:43 remaining.
The Hawks made four free throws in the final 33 seconds of overtime to close out the game.
With less than four minutes left in regulation, the Cats went up five points on a three-point play by
Dawan Bass at the 3:57 mark for a 75-70 RSU advantage.
Back-to-back baskets from the Hawks cut the deficit to one at 75-74 with 2:59 remaining, but
Jordan Johnson pushed the margin to three points at 77-74 with two free throws with 2:41 on the clock. The lead grew to four on a Saint Hiliare free throw at the 1:59 mark.
Rockhurst connected on four free throws to tie the score at 78-78 with 1:03 left. The Cats regained the edge at 80-78 when Johnson sank two more free throws.
The Hawks tied the score at 80-80 with 34 seconds left in regulation on a driving layup.
RSU had a chance to take a late lead, but
Tate Turner's shot in the final seconds missed and the game went to overtime.
Johnson posted a team-high 33 points and hit four 3s. Turner tallied 21 points and seven rebounds. Also in double figures was Bass with 13 points.
Rockhurst was led by Eddie Muench with 21 points as one of four Hawks in double figures.
In a back-and-forth game, both teams were efficient from the floor. RU shot 56.4 percent (31-55) from the field, and RSU finished at 50 percent (30-60).
The Hillcats end their three game homestand on Tuesday (Nov. 20) against Southwestern Oklahoma State at 7 p.m. at the Claremore Expo Center. Follow the action on the Hillcat Network with live stats and video streaming.
