HAYS, Kan. – Rogers State men's basketball (5-3, 1-1 MIAA) came up short 65-55 against Fort Hays State (7-1, 2-0 MIAA) on Saturday.
 
Joey Saracco led the Hillcats with his first double-double of the season scoring 20 points and pulling down a season-high and game-high 12 rebounds to go with a block. Chris Whitaker added eight points with six rebounds, three steals, an assist and a block. Preston Lawrence posted six points and three rebounds, while Caden Fry contributed six points, two steals and an assist.
 
The game was a defensive struggle for both teams early until Isaac Johnson scored the game's first bucket three minutes in. From there, things devolved into a back-for-forth affair for the remainder of the half with three lead changes and four ties. The Tigers took the lead 4-2 with 14:16 left, but the Hillcats retook the advantage 9-6 with 11:34 left off a deep ball from Lawrence. RSU remained in front for the bulk of the period, running the lead out to its largest at 15-8, thanks to a 9-2 run. FHSU went to work trimming the deficit and retook the lead 21-19 with just over four minutes left in the half. They eventually carried a 23-21 margin into the break.
 
The Tigers quickly expanded their lead to 33-25 by opening the second half on a 10-4 run. The Hillcats were able to cut the margin down to two points on multiple occasions with the last one coming on a three-pointer from Lawrence to trim the deficit to 38-36 with 11:41 left. However, the FHSU defense slowly began to snuff out any comeback the Hillcats tried to mount. Thanks to fouls and free throws down the stretch the Tigers took a 65-55 victory.
 
RSU will be back in action on Thursday, Dec. 8 as they return to the Claremore Expo Center for the MIAA home opener against Emporia State. Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m.