CLAREMORE, Okla. – Rogers State men's basketball (9-6, 5-4 MIAA) battled to the wire but came up short 84-75 against No. 8 Central Oklahoma (15-1, 9-1 MIAA) on Saturday.
 
Three Hillcats finished in double figures on the day. Chris Whitaker led RSU finishing just one point off his career high with 22 points to go with five rebounds and three assists. Joey Saracco put up 14 points with five rebounds and a steal. Ugo Obineke added 10 points with three rebounds. Kofi Hamilton contributed nine points with nine rebounds.
 
The opening minutes of the game were a back and forth affair with both sides trading shots to open the game. The Bronchos began to pull away as they went on a 9-2 run to go up 16-8. RSU answered back and was able to cut the deficit to 20-17 with 9:33 left in the half. Things grew tight for a few minutes with both sides hitting shots. Once again though, UCO began to create separation as they carried a 41-31 lead into the locker room.
 
A three pointer right out of the break gave the Bronchos their largest lead of the game at 44-31. However, RSU outscored UCO 13-8 over the next 5-plus minutes to cut the deficit down to 51-44. They kept battling and were able to get the lead down to just two points at 55-53 thanks to a 9-4 run midway through the half. Even though the Hillcats shot 53 percent from the floor in the second half, they couldn't stop Broncho's offense who shot 55 percent and were a perfect 18-for-18 from the free throw line. UCO eventually took the 84-75 win due to a combination of these factors.
 
RSU will be back in action on Thursday, January 12 as they travel to Jefferson City, Mo. to face off against Lincoln. Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m.