Rogers State men’s basketball (8-4, 4-2 MIAA) closed out 2022 with a bang, surviving on New Year’s Eve to knock off Missouri Western (7-4, 3-2 MIAA) in a 62-61 thriller on Saturday.
Three Hillcats finished in double figures in the win. Joey Saracco led RSU with 14 points and seven rebounds to go with three assists, two steals and a block. Sherwyn Devonish-Prince Jr. put up 13 points with four assists and three rebounds. Chris Whitaker added 10 points with four rebounds, two assists and a steal.
The Hillcats started slow as the Griffons opened on a 5-0 run, however they quickly rebounded with a 10-0 run of their own to go up 10-5. RSU then followed that up with an 8-0 run to push out to an 18-7 lead. MWSU slowly began to chip away at the deficit and eventually tied the game at 26-26 with 5:05 left in the half. The Hillcats stifled the Griffon offense and regained the momentum as they closed out the period on a 10-3 run to carry a 36-29 advantage into the locker room.
The second half was a tightly contested 20 minutes as MWSU began the period on a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to 36-35. RSU answered with a 6-0 run of their own to go back up 42-35. The Griffons punched back with a 9-0 run to take the lead for the first time since the beginning of the game at 44-42. Both sides went back-and-forth over the next few minutes with three leads changes. The Hillcats came out on top with the start of a 9-0 run to push out to a 54-46 lead with 7:23 left. Once again, MWSU battled back and tied it 58-58 with just under two minutes left. Thanks to fouls and made free throws down the stretch, the Hillcats hung on for the 62-61 victory.
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