CLAREMORE, Okla. – Rogers State men's basketball (11-8, 7-6 MIAA) mounted a 14-point comeback in the second half to stun Missouri Southern (12-6, 8-4 MIAA) for the 71-68 win on Saturday.
 
Three Hillcats finished in double figures in the game. Chris Whitaker led the way with 17 points, four rebounds and an assist. Kofi Hamilton added 12 points with two rebounds. Joey Saracco put up 11 points with a team-high six rebounds, two assists and a block.
 
The game started tight with both sides trading buckets early. However, a 12-2 run allowed Southern to push out to a 27-13 lead. The Hillcats responded with a 15-9 run of their own to cut the deficit to 36-28. The Lions still held a 40-31 advantage going into the locker room.
 
A 7-2 run by MSSU to start the second half put them back up 14 points at 47-33. From there, RSU went to work trimming the lead with an 8-0 run to pull within 47-41 with 14:26 left. They slowly closed the gap with shorter point runs along the way, and finally broke through with a 14-0 run beginning at the 7:11 mark to take their first lead of the game 62-56. The Hillcats took their largest lead at 66-59 with just over two minutes left. The Lions refused to die though as they strung together a 7-1 run to pull within one point at 67-66 with 1:08 left. RSU managed to hold on going 4-for-4 from the free throw line to seal the 71-68 upset win.
 
The Hillcats will look to carry the momentum on the road on Thursday, Jan. 26 as they travel to Topeka, Kan. to face off against Washburn for a 7:30 p.m. tip. In the first meeting this season in Claremore, RSU took an 88-81 win.