TULSA, Okla. – Rogers State men's basketball fell on the road Saturday night at NCAA Division I Oral Roberts, dropping the exhibition contest 93-63 to the Golden Eagles at the Mabee Center.
 
Three Hillcats (0-2) finished in double figures, led by sophomore Destin Eke who fell one rebound shy of a double double as he finished with 13 points and nine rebounds.
 
How it Happened: The Hillcats never led in the game, as Oral Roberts took the lead with a three pointer 2:07 into the contest. The hosts extended the lead to as much as 16 in the first half at 28-12, but the Hillcats trimmed it back with several trips to the free throw line and a big three pointer from Jett Sternberger, who made his return to action after missing the first two games.
 
Oral Roberts extended the lead back to 11 in the final minute of the first half to take a 39-28 lead into the break.
 
In the second half, the Hillcats kept the deficit floating around the 10-point mark until Brewster Peacock hit a three with 12:28 remaining to cut the deficit to seven at 54-47. However, that would be as close as the navy and red would get, as Oral Roberts responded with a 19-3 run to go up 23. The Golden Eagles continued to pull away through the end of the contest.
 
Key Statistic: The big difference in the game came off of turnovers. The Hillcats had 15 turnovers, while Oral Roberts had 13. However, the Gold Eagles scored 26 points off of turnovers, while the Hillcats scored just eight points off of Oral Roberts' miscues.
 
Players of Note: Eke led the Hillcats in scoring for the second time this season, finishing with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting. The sophomore also had five offensive rebounds as part of a nine-rebound night on the glass.
 
Devin Pullum finished in double figures for the third-consecutive game. The senior transfer finished with 12 points. He also had three rebounds, three assists, and a steal for the Hillcats.
 
After a total of 10 points in his first two games, Joey Saracco matched his season total and hit double figures for the first time with 10 points against the Golden Eagles. He also pulled down three rebounds in the contest.
 
Sternberger made his first appearance of the season and scored five points off the bench. The sophomore also had a pair of rebounds and assists in 16 minutes of action.
 
Freshmen Christopher Harris and Preston Lawrence scored their first points as Hillcats in the game. Each player had eight minutes in the game, with Harris scoring six points and Lawrence adding three.
 
Carlos Coppage and Brenden Dan also made their debuts for the Hillcats in the game. Dan had an assist on Lawrence's three pointer.
 
Up Next: Rogers State returns to MIAA play as the Hillcats leave the state of Oklahoma for the first time this season, traveling to Kansas to take on Pittsburg State. The Hillcats will tip off with the Gorillas at 7:30 p.m. at Whetzel Court inside John Lance Arena, the site of Justin Barkley's 200th career win last season.