RSU Hillcats Knock Off Northwood, 79-51

The Rogers State men's basketball team returned to its winning ways on Saturday night as the Hillcats registered a 79-51 victory over Northwood (Texas) at the Oklahoma Baptist Classic.

The Hillcats jumped out to a 14-2 lead to start the contest before the Knights rallied with a 21-10 burst to cut the RSU lead to one point with five minutes to play in the first half. The Cats clung to the lead in the final minutes of the first stanza, taking a 28-25 advantage into the locker room at intermission.

RSU regrouped at halftime and opened the final 20 minutes with a 19-3 run, building a 47-28 advantage.

The Hillcats never looked back as they led by double digits the rest of the way. Donald Williams steered the charge as he tallied 19 points to lead all scorers. Kendrell Thompson and Justynn Hammond each finished with double digits scoring. Thompson recorded 13 second half points and 16 points for the game while Hammond finished with 12 points.

The Hillcats won the battle on the boards, 47-35. RSU shot 42 percent from both the field and from behind the arc while nabbing 12 steals.

Tito Andrade was the lone player from Northwood to reach double digits as he tallied 11 points. The Knights shot 28 percent from the field, committing 27 turnovers in the contest.

Rogers State (8-1) will return to the Claremore Expo after a six-game road stint as the Hillcats take on Dallas Christian on Monday night at 7 p.m.