CLAREMORE. Okla. – Rogers State men's basketball suffered it's third-straight defeat Saturday evening, falling at home to Pittsburg State 86-75 at the Claremore Expo Center in MIAA play.
 
The Hillcats (6-8, 6-8 MIAA) overcame a double-digit first half deficit with a strong start to the second half, but Rogers State was unable to contain Pitt State's (8-7, 8-7 MIAA) offensive attack as the Gorilla shot 62 percent in the second half to fight off the Hillcats.
 
How It Happened: The game started out with a jumper from Devin Pullum on the opening possession, but the visitors responded with a 9-0 run and never trailed in the first half.
 
The teams traded baskets for most of the half until another mini run for Pitt State saw the Hillcats go down by double-digits at the eight-minute mark. Pitt State expanded the lead to 12 with 6:51 remaining in the half before the Hillcats began to chip away at the deficit.
 
The Hillcats used a 10-2 run over the final 2:28 of the half to cut into Pitt State's lead, as Rogers State went into the break trailing by two points at 34-32.
 
Rogers State started the second half on fire from the floor, making baskets on their first five possessions and nine of the first 10 possessions overall.
 
The Hillcats would go up by three points at 45-42 and then against at 52-49, but it would be the largest gap Rogers State could open up at the Gorillas continued to match the Hillcat scoring.
 
With the Hillcats leading 52-49, Pitt State went on a 10-0 run over the next 2:23 to take control of the game and the Hillcats couldn't recover. The lead stayed in single digits for most of the half, but Rogers State could never cut the deficit to a single possession and the Gorillas opened up a double-digit lead at the end of the game by going 11-for-12 at the free throw line to seal the victory.
 
Key Statistic: Pitt State shot 39 percent from three points range with seven three pointers, while the Hillcats were just 17 percent from long range with a trio of three pointers.
 
The Hillcats had 15 turnovers that Pitt State turned into 16 points. The Hillcats had just six points off of nine Pitt State turnovers.
 
Players of Note: Darraja Parnell led the Hillcats in scoring with 21 points and also shared for the team lead in rebounds with seven. Parnell also added a pair of blocks and two steals.
 
Destin Eke tied Parnell for the team lead with seven rebounds. Eke also had 11 rebounds and an assist.
 
Devin Pullum was the only other Hillcat in double figures, finishing with 18 points. Pullum added two rebounds and an assist.
 
Notables: Rogers State had just three steals and six assists in the game, both season lows for the Hillcats.
 
RSU shot 50.9 percent (28-for-55) from the field for the game, the second-best shooting percentage of the season.
 
The Hillcats were 16-for-21 (76.2 percent) from the free-throw line, while Pittsburg State was 19-for-28 (67.9 percent).
 
Saturday's loss is the third straight for the Hillcats. Rogers State's three-game win streak over Pitt State also came to an end.
 
Up Next: The Hillcats will hit the road for the first of two games in the state of Kansas. Rogers State will open up the road swing with a trip to No. 13 Washburn on Thursday. The Hillcats will tip off with the Ichabods at 7:30 p.m. in Topeka.