CLAREMORE, Okla. – Rogers State men's basketball (12-6, 6-6 MIAA) battled through adversity to come out with 91-83 win over Central Missouri (8-8, 5-7 MIAA) in a thrilling overtime matchup on Saturday. This was the Hillcats first overtime win since defeating Pittsburg State 87-80 on December 2, 2020.
Four Hillcats finished in double figures in the win. Jordan Coblin was outstanding with a season-high 20 points including an eye-popping 11-for-11 from the charity stripe as well as a team and season-high eight assists with four rebounds. Tylan Dean finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds, including shooting 11-for-13 from the free throw line. Devin Pullum posted 17 points with four assists and two rebounds. Brewster Peacock contributed 10 points with four rebounds, an assist and a block.
The first half was all RSU after they took the lead 4-3 at 18:32. The Hillcats managed to string together several point runs to take their first double-digit lead at 20-10 with 7:24 left in the half. They continued to build out the margin out and carried a 36-24 lead into the locker room.
RSU came out of the half shooting the lights out as they opened the period on a 13-4 run in the first five minutes to take their largest lead of the game at 50-31. However, from that point on the Mules slowly but surely chipped away at the deficit thanks to Hillcat turnovers and made shots and free throws by UCM. They eventually cut the lead down to where they made a three-pointer with 20 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 71-71 and send it to overtime.
In the overtime period, RSU steadied themselves and retook control of the game as they shot 3-for-4 from the field and were a perfect 14-for-14 from the charity stripe. This combined with only allowing UCM to shoot 1-for-5 from the field and the Mules shooting 10-for-12 from the free throw line gave the home team the 91-83 victory.
The Hillcats performance from the free throw line cannot be understated as a major key to how they won this game. They shot a stellar 91.9 percent (34-37) from the line, including making 22-straight free throws to end the game.
RSU will look to carry this momentum on the road as they travel to Joplin, Mo. on Wednesday, Jan. 26 to face off against Missouri Southern. Tipoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.
