Rogers State men’s basketball (5-0) downed East Central (1-4) with a 64-56 win on Saturday. Both Brewster Peacock and Gerren Jackson led the Hillcats with 14 points apiece. Jackson was one rebound shy of a double-double with a team-high nine boards in addition to two assists and two steals, while Peacock added two rebounds. Devin Pullum posted nine points, eight rebounds, three steals and two assists. Joey Saracco also logged nine points with four rebounds. Tylan Dean contributed eight points with five rebounds, three assists and a steal. RSU stumbled out of the gate as they went down 4-0 to start the game, and didn’t make their first bucket until five minutes in. However, they quickly found their footing and tore off a 20-5 run for a 20-9 lead midway through the half. East Central answered with a 5-0 run to cut the deficit to 20-16. Things grew close for the remainder of the period as the two teams traded points, but the Hillcats came out on top as they took a 28-24 advantage into the break. Things stayed close in the second half as ECU fought to tie the game at 32-32 five and a half minutes into the period, and took their largest lead since the beginning of the game at 37-34 thanks to a 13-1 run. However, RSU bounced back with their own 13-5 run to retake the lead 46-42. Both teams proceeded to trade points and leads down the stretch with three ties and three lead changes. The Hillcats came out on top with a 51-50 lead with 3:25 left, and took control for the 64-56 victory. RSU will be back in action on Thursday, Dec. 2 as they travel to St. Joseph, Mo. to open up MIAA play against Missouri Western. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. |
