CLAREMORE, Okla. – Rogers State men's basketball (6-7, 3-4 MIAA) couldn't get it done against No. 19 Northwest Missouri (11-3, 7-1 MIAA) in a 78-57 game on Thursday.
 
Three Hillcats finished in double figures in the game. Both Kofi Hamilton and Isaac Johnson led RSU with 15 points apiece. Hamilton added a team-high six rebounds, two steals and an assist while Johnson added one rebound, two assists and two steals. Rodney Battle put up 12 points with a rebound.
 
The first half was a tightly contested affair early on with neither team able to get much more than a single possession lead. The Bearcats stretched their lead out to seven points at 15-8 nearly six minutes in, but RSU strung together five quick points of their own to get it back down to one possession at 15-13. With 9:21 left in the half, Northwest began to pull away with an 18-2 run to take their largest lead of the period at 41-23. The Hillcats tried to cut into the deficit, but the Bearcats still carried a 44-29 advantage into the break.
 
The second half was more of the same with the two sides trading buckets early in the period. Again though, Northwest began to build out their lead further midway through the second half with a 10-2 run to go up 69-48. They stretched their margin to its largest at 74-51 and eventually took the win 78-57.
 
The Hillcats will be back in action on Wednesday, Jan. 10 as they travel to Wichita, Kan. to face off against Newman. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.