TAHLEQUAH, Okla. –The Rogers State men's basketball team fell on the road 76-78 to the Northeastern State RiverHawks at the NSU Event Center on Saturday to close the regular season.
 
Despite the loss, the Hillcats (11-11, 11-11 MIAA) qualify for the MIAA Tournament as the No. 7 seed and will play Washburn in the first round.
 
Three players scored in double figures, as the Hillcats fell to the RiverHawks (5-17, 5-17 MIAA) for the second time in the last three meetings. Devin Pullum led all scorers in the game with 24.
 
How It Happened: After the two teams combined to miss the first five shots of the game, Brewster Peacock would hit a three-point jump shot two minutes into the game to get the scoring going.
 
The RiverHawks would take their first lead of the game at the 12:11 mark of the first half after a pair of free throws, but the Hillcats would respond in the next possession with a three-point jump shot by Preston Lawrence.
 
Lynch would spark a 15-8 run just past the halfway mark of the half with a layup, with the run capped off by a three-point jumper from Daraja Parnell.
 
Lynch would end the half with a three-pointer to give the Hillcats their largest lead of game at 44-29 heading into the locker room.
 
The two teams would begin the second half trading baskets in the opening stages of the half.
 
The RiverHawks would claw their way back into the game in the final stage and would tie the game at 70 with 3:34 left.
 
Northeastern State would take their first lead of the game at the 2:48 mark, after making a three-point jump shot.
 
Rogers State had a shot to take the lead or send the game to overtime with two seconds remaining in the contest after Brad Davis sent Pullum to the line. However, Pullum was unable to hit either free-throw, after making his first eight of the game.
 
Key Statistics: The RiverHawks outscored the Hillcats 49-to-32 in the second half.
The Hillcats shot 10-for-26 (38 percent) from the field and 2-for-8 (25 percent) from three in the second half, while the RiverHawks shots 16-for-26 (61 percent) from the field and 5-for-12 (41 percent) from three in the second half.
 
The RiverHawks outrebounded the Hillcats 20-to-10 in the second half.
 
Players of Note:  Pullum finished the day with a game-high 24 points. He also had two rebounds, two steals, and an assist.
 
Parnell finished the game with 17 points. He also recorded four rebounds, an assist, and a steal.
Lynch finished the game with 16 points, shooting 6-for-8 from the field. He also recorded five rebounds, three assists, and a pair of steals.
 
Peacock finished the game with seven points. He also recorded four rebounds and a block.
 
Notes from the game: The Hillcats shot 16-for-35 (45 percent) from the field and 6-for-14 (42 percent) from the three-point line in the first half, while the RiverHawks were 11-for-30 (36 percent) from the field and 2-for-12 (16 percent) from the three-point line. The Hillcats also outrebounded the RiverHawks 22-to-18 in the first half.
 
Both teams finished with six offensive rebounds, but NSU led Rogers State 8-2 in second-chance points.
 
Up Next: Rogers State will take on No. 2 seed Washburn in the first round of the MIAA Tournament on Wednesday, March 3 in Topeka. The game time has not been announced at the time of release.