CLAREMORE, Okla. – Junior guard Tavian Davis made a late layup with only seconds remaining to lift the Rogers State men's basketball team to a 70-69 win over UA Fort Smith on Thursday (Nov. 29) night at the Claremore Expo Center in the Heartland Conference opener.
 
After a Hillcat (6-2, 1-0 Heartland) timeout with 12 seconds left, Davis drove the right side of the line and made the dramatic game-winning layup with less than 10 seconds remaining to give the navy and red a 70-69 advantage.
 
Kei'shon Parker of UAFS had a last second attempt, but it didn't fall as time expired and the Cats held on for the win and snapped a four-game losing streak to the Lions.  
 
The Lions (4-5, 0-1 Heartland) gained a four-team edge at 67-63 with 2:10 remaining on a Chris Crawford 3-pointer with 2:10 on the clock.
 
RSU answered right back with a triple from Chase Littlejohn at the 1:58 mark for a 67-66 score.
 
With 47 seconds remaining, Crawford sank two free throws to make it 69-66, but Tate Turner pulled RSU to within one at 69-68 with a late layup with 32 seconds left.
 
Trailing by one, the Cats were forced to foul, and UAFS's David Ward missed two free throws with 17 seconds remaining to set up the exciting finish.
 
Turner totaled a team-high 14 points, and Saint Hilare went for 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Davis and Josh Joiner added nine points.
 
Three Lions registered double figures in scoring with Crawford posting a game-high 17 points. The Lions shot 50 percent (22-44) from the field, but committed 17 turnovers. UAFS also gave RSU three points due to two technical fouls.
 
RSU finished at 40 percent (26-65) from the field, including 46.7 percent (14-30) in the second half. The Cats totaled only nine turnovers in the game.
 
The Hillcats step out of Heartland Conference play to travel to Emporia State on Saturday (Dec. 1) for a 7:30 p.m. contest in Emporia, Kansas. Video and live stats will be available along with radio coverage on 91.3 FM.