No. 20 Rogers State Routs St. Gregory's

Rogers State took any suspense out of Saturday's game quickly, using a red-hot shooting effort to dispatch of St. Gregory's 93-58 at the Claremore Expo. The No. 20 Hillcats raced out to a 7-0 lead and never looked back, hitting 65 percent from the floor in winning for the third time in four games.

The Cavaliers lost for the seventh consecutive time and fifth straight to begin Sooner Athletic Conference play. RSU scored 23 points off 19 SGU turnovers and had a 46-32 advantage in the paint.

The Hillcats focused their defensive effort on Fayzon Richey, who came into the game leading the conference with 22.9 points per game. He was held to only four shots, finishing with 10 points and six rebounds. Richey is now three points from reaching the 2,000-point mark for his career.

RSU (15-5, 3-3 SAC) had six players in double figures, led by Justynn Hammond's 23. Cavalier freshman Tim Stromberg had a team-high 12 points on 4 of 5 shooting.

RSU made nine of its first 13 shots and raced out to a 23-5 lead with 10:10 left in the first half. The Hillcats kept their foot on the pedal, increasing the advantage to as many as 26 before taking a 45-21 lead into the break.

The Cavs shot only 33 percent in the first half and committed 14 turnovers. By contrast, RSU was 17 of 25 from the floor - 68 percent - and had a 22-12 advantage in the paint.

The second half was much of the same as the Hillcats made 10 of their first 13 shots to increase the lead to 72-38. SGU got no closer than 30 the rest of the way.

SGU (6-9, 0-5 SAC) returns to action Thursday when it hosts Oklahoma City. That game is scheduled for 8 p.m.