KEARNEY, Neb. – Rogers State men's basketball (5-2, 1-0 MIAA) cruised to a 78-58 win in the MIAA opener against Nebraska-Kearney (2-5, 0-1 MIAA) on the road on Thursday.

Four Hillcats finished in double figures on the night. Sherwyn Devonish-Prince led RSU and was one assist shy of double-double with 19 points and nine assists as well as a rebound and a steal. Joey Saracco added 12 points with seven rebounds. Kofi Hamilton earned his second double-double of the season with 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Caden Fry contributed 10 points with a rebound.

The game was a back-and-forth affair to start as neither team could get more that a single possession lead in the early goings. RSU slowly began to pull away though as they mounted a 19-7 run to take a 30-15 lead mid-way through the half that began with three three-pointers from Preston Lawrence and Sam Davidson. The Lopers battled back with a 9-0 run of their own to trim the deficit to 30-24 with just under five minutes left in the period. However, the Hillcats responded by closing out the half on a 13-2 run to carry a 43-26 advantage into the break.

In the second half, UNK refused to go down and fought back to start the second half with a 23-8 run that tied the game at 51-51 with just over 11 minutes left. However, that would not be enough to complete the comeback as RSU found its footing again and strung together a 14-2 run to go back up 65-53. They then finished off the game with a 13-0 run to claim the 78-58 victory.

The Hillcats will be back in action on Saturday, Dec. 3 as they close out the road trip in Hays, Kan. with a matchup against Fort Hays State. Tip off is set for 4 p.m.