Box Score JOPLIN, Mo. – Rogers State men's basketball (11-8, 8-5 MIAA) came up short in a 75-53 game against Missouri Southern (8-11, 6-7 MIAA) on Saturday.
 
Rodney Battle led the Hillcats with 15 points along with two rebounds and an assist. Isaac Johnson put up 10 points with two rebounds and a steal. Sam Davidson added nine points and a block. Caden Fry contributed eight points, two rebounds and an assist.
 
The Hillcats started slow as the Lions opened the game with a 9-3 run. Things didn't get much better as MSSU was able to push out to a 24-10 margin midway through the half. RSU showed some fight as they were able to string together a 7-0 run to get the margin back to single digits at 24-17. However, the Lions closed out the half on a 13-5 run to carry a 39-24 lead into the break.
 
The second half played out much like the first with MSSU going on an 8-0 run out of the locker room to increase their advantage to 47-24. They took their largest lead of the game at 55-28 with 12:51 left. The Lions went on to outscore RSU 36-29 in the period and eventually took the 75-53 win.
 
The Hillcats will look to bounce back on Thursday, Feb. 1 as they return home to the Claremore Expo Center to host Washburn. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.