EDMOND, Okla. – Rogers State men's basketball (8-7, 5-4 MIAA) pulled off the upset 81-76 over No. 17 Central Oklahoma (14-4, 6-4 MIAA) with an incredible second half comeback on Saturday.
 
This is the first ranked road win since downing No. 11 Missouri Southern 105-93 in Joplin, Mo. on Feb. 1, 2020. With the victory, RSU also evens the all-time series at 6-6 against UCO and moves to 4-3 in Hamilton Fieldhouse.
 
Three Hillcats finished in double figures in the win. Isaac Johnson led RSU with a season-high 23 points to go with five rebounds, two steals and an assist. Rodney Battle added 20 points with four rebounds. Kofi Hamilton contributed 10 points with three rebounds and an assist. Both Evan Anderson and Nathan Clover III both put up eight points apiece with Anderson adding a rebound, an assist and a steal while Clover added five rebounds and an assist.
 
The Bronchos got off to a fast start as they opened with an 8-2 run in the first two minutes. However, RSU quickly found its footing as Battle banged down three-straight threes to put the Hillcats in front 11-10. The two sides traded buckets for the next few possessions, but UCO came out on top as they went on an 11-0 run to go back up 23-13 with just over 11 minutes left in the half. RSU responded with an 8-2 run of their own to get the lead down to 25-21. Another 5-0 run a few minutes later got them within two points with 5:14 remaining. Both teams battled back and forth for the remainder of the period, but the Hillcats were able to eventually tie things up at 38-38 before two made free throws at the end of the half gave the Bronchos at slim 40-38 margin going into the break.
 
RSU came out of the locker room on fire as they began the second half with a 16-5 run to dash out to a 54-45 lead. They continued to grow that advantage out to its largest at 60-47 thanks to a 6-2 run. UCO bounced back and answered with a 9-3 run of their own to get the deficit down to single digits at 63-56 midway through the final half. The Bronchos kept working and with four minutes left went on a 10-1 run to get within three points at 73-70. However, that would be as close as they would get as the Hillcats hung on for the 81-76 upset win.
 
RSU outscored UCO 43-36 in the second half while shooting 58.3 percent from the field and held the Bronchos to a meager 35.7 percent shooting.
 
The Hillcats will look to carry the momentum of the 2-0 road trip into next week when they begin a two-game homestand on Thursday, Jan. 18 against Lincoln. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.