CLAREMORE, Okla. - Rogers State men's basketball (14-7, 5-4 MIAA) came up short 74-63 against Fort Hays State (13-4, 6-2 MIAA) on Thursday.
 
Three Hillcats finished in double-figures. Anthony Marshall Jr. led the way with 16 points, two rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal. Jabryn Anderson finished with 14 points, four rebounds, an assist and a block. Caden Fry contributed 11 points with a team-high eight rebounds and a steal.
 
RSU got off to a hot start as they opened the game on a 6-3 run. However, the Tigers responded with a 7-1 run of their own to take their first lead at 10-7. From there the two sides traded buckets for the next several minutes. FHSU began to break away as they mounted a 17-5 run, taking their largest lead of the half at 33-21 with 1:38 left. The Hillcats found some fire in the last 90 seconds of the period as they closed out the half on a 6-1 run to cut the deficit to 34-27 heading into the break.
 
The Tigers took control of the game in the second half as they went on a 12-6 run to start the period and pushed out to a 46-33 lead. They eventually took their largest lead of the game at 65-48 with 6:40 left. RSU began to show some life as they responded by putting together a 6-0 run to trim the margin to 65-54. With one minute left, the Hillcats finally got the deficit back within single digits at 70-61, but the Tigers snuffed out the comeback attempt with made free throws down the stretch to secure the 74-63 win.
 
RSU will look to bounce back on Saturday, Jan. 25 when they face off against Nebraska Kearney and honor former RSU Basketball great Frederico Santos and the rest of the RSU Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2025 at halftime. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m.