CLAREMORE, Okla. – Roger State men's basketball (13-11, 9-9 MIAA) took a 71-61 win over Missouri Western (11-13, 7-10 MIAA) on Homecoming Saturday.
 
Three Hillcats finished in double figures in the win. Chris Whitaker led the way with 20 points to go with three rebounds and three assists. Joey Saracco posted his fifth double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds as well as an assist. Ugo Obineke added 11 points with two steals and a rebound.
 
The first half was a back-and-forth affair with neither team able to get more than a single possession lead for most of the period. In the first eight minutes, there were four lead changes with two ties. The Griffons came out on top with a 14-13 lead. They pushed out to a 19-13 lead with a 6-0 run. The Hillcats battled to get the margin back down to one point at 29-28 and again at 32-31 with three minutes left in the half. However, the Griffons closed out the period on a 7-1 run to carry a 39-32 lead into the break.
 
RSU came out of the locker room on fire with five quick points and cut the deficit down to 39-37 to open the second half. MWSU pushed out to 44-39 margin, but RSU trimmed it back to 44-43 and fought to tie it at 47-47. The Griffons extended their lead back out to 57-52 with 7:42 left, however the Hillcats ripped off a 7-0 run to retake the lead 59-57 with just under five minutes left. Every time MWSU tried to get the lead back down the stretch RSU had an answer. They managed to close out the game on an 8-0 run with free throws and two made layups to seal the win 71-61.
 
The Hillcats will begin their final road trip of the regular season on Wednesday, Feb. 15 as they travel to Edmond, Okla. to face off against No. 6 Central Oklahoma. Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m.