CLAREMORE, Okla. – Rogers State men's basketball (17-8, 8-5 MIAA) opened the three-game homestand in dominant fashion as they rolled past Missouri Western (15-8, 6-6 MIAA) with a 74-54 win on Thursday.
 
"I have to give credit to our unselfish play early on in this one, and that's not just with passing the ball, its with cuts and other things that don't show up on stat sheet," said Head Coach Justin Barkley. "Andrew Mason's, Sam Davidson's and Jabryn Anderson's ability to cut and Caden Fry sacrificing by setting screens was huge for us. We did a great job sharing the ball and when we got paint touches, it started to open up shots on the outside."
 
Four Hillcats finished in double figures in the win. Andrew Mason led the way with a career-high 20 points, shooting 8-for-11 from the field. Sam Davidson put up 13 points, going 3-for-5 from deep. Anthony Marshall Jr. added 10 points and played a huge role distributing the ball with a game-high five assists. Angus Ole also contributed 10 points. Despite only scoring five points, Caden Fry was a force on the glass with eight boards and dished out three assists as well.
 
RSU came out of the tip on fire as they opened the game on a 10-3 run. After the Griffons responded with a 5-1 run of their own to get back within a single possession, the Hillcats answered back pushing the lead out to eight points. They really got going late in the half as RSU broke the game open with 21-4 run over the last six minutes to take a 46-26 advantage into the break.
 
In the second half, MWSU came out looking to get back in the game with an 8-2 run to start, cutting the deficit to 48-34. However, every time the Griffons seemed to be gaining some momentum, RSU responded with a run of their own to short circuit the attempted comeback. MWSU was never able to get closer than 12 points, and the Hillcats closed out the game on an 8-0 run to secure the 74-54 victory.
 
RSU will return to action on Saturday, Feb. 8 as they play host to Northwest Missouri. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m.