CLAREMORE, Okla. – Rogers State men's basketball (11-5, 2-2 MIAA) handed Newman (9-3, 2-1 MIAA) their first conference loss of the season with the 76-66 win, despite a late comeback scare from the Jets on Thursday.
 
"This was a good win over a good Newman team," said Head Coach Justin Barkley. "Outside of the last five minutes where we blinked out and took our foot off the gas, we played really well for about 33 minutes and were outstanding on both ends of the floor. Overall, I was really happy with how we played tonight."
 
Four Hillcats finished in double figures in the win. Anthony Marshall Jr. led all scorers with 18 points and a team-high four assists as well as three rebounds. Caden Fry put up 17 points and was two rebounds shy of a double-double with eight boards. Andrew Mason contributed 12 points with five rebounds. Kofi Hamilton posted his first double-double of the season with 10 points and 14 rebounds.
 
RSU got off to a fast start as they dashed out to a 12-3 lead in the first four and a half minutes. The Jets began to wake up and were able to keep the margin in check for much of the period. However, a 10-4 run midway through the period gave the Hillcats their first double-digit lead of the night at 30-19 with just over five minutes left in the half, and they eventually carried a 42-28 advantage into the locker room.
 
After the break, RSU continued to shoot the lights out to start the second half as they opened on a 20-7 run to take their largest lead of the game at 62-35 in the first five minutes. However, with six minutes left, the Jets sprang to life and mounted an impressive 20-3 run of their own to cut the deficit down to 74-66 with under a minute left. The Hillcats were able to hang on and put the game on ice down the stretch with made free throws to secure the 76-66 victory.
 
RSU will be back in action on Wednesday, Jan. 8 as they travel to Fort Smith, Ark. to renew an old Heartland Conference rivalry with Arkansas Fort Smith. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.