AUSTIN, Texas- St. Edward's dropped an 88-71 decision to a hot-shooting Rogers State squad Thursday evening in Heartland Conference action at the Recreation and Convocation Center.
Rogers State (16-3, 8-3 HC) shot 57 percent from the floor, including 63 percent in the second half, while holding St. Edward's to 38 percent shooting from the field.
JOHN GRAMLICH led the Hilltoppers with 13 points while
FRANKIE MGBOLU and
TREY LINDSEY added 12 points each.
ETHAN GILBERT chipped in with 10 points and seven rebounds. Mgbolu also had a team-high five assists.
Rogers State built a 21-12 lead in the contest's first nine minutes as they went 8-for-11 from the field. Three of those shots came from behind the arc as the Hillcats built the nine-point advantage.
With Rogers State still holding the nine-point advantage, 25-16, with 9:30 remaining in the half, the Hillcats increased their lead to its highest point at 31-16, with 8:19 left in the first frame.
St. Edward's responded by being aggressive and getting to the free-throw line. The Hilltoppers made six free throws down the stretch, led by five points from Gramlich. When the halftime buzzer had sounded, St. Edward's had a 13-3 run in the final eight minutes to cut the lead to 34-29 at the break.
In the second half, St. Edward's used a quick 7-0 run out of the break to capture its first lead of the game, 36-34, with 18:06 on the clock. Mgbolu had two quick buckets followed by a three-pointer from
AUBRIE KING during the run.
Rogers State responded with a 12-0 run over the next four minutes to take back the lead. Jeylyn Sharpe had six points during the outburst, including the final two buckets for a 46-36 lead for the visitors.
The Hilltoppers were able to cut the lead to eight points on two occasions, but Rogers State shot the ball well and shared the basketball with 18 assists for the game.
"We did a good job to get the lead early in the second half, but a couple of bad possessions and some tough shots made by Rogers State gave the game back to them," head coach Andre Cook said. "We haven't played good basketball in about a month and we need to find our game."
St. Edward's will back in action for game two of a three-game homestand on Saturday against UA Fort Smith. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. at the Recreation and Convocation Center. Live video and stats will be available on the Hilltopper Athletic Website.
| Heartland Conference Standings |
| Team | HC | OVERALL |
| TAMU-International | 9-2 | 14-5 |
| Dallas Baptist | 8-2 | 14-4 |
| Rogers State* | 8-3 | 16-3 |
| UA Fort Smith | 8-3 | 15-4 |
| Lubbock Christian | 7-4 | 13-6 |
| St. Edward's | 6-5 | 13-6 |
| UT-Permian Basin | 5-6 | 10-9 |
| Newman | 4-7 | 11-8 |
| St. Mary's | 3-8 | 7-12 |
| Panhandle State | 1-10 | 8-11 |
| Oklahoma Christian | 1-10 | 4-15 |
| *-Not Eligble for Postseason Play | | |
| | |
| Thursday, January 28 | | |
| Rogers State def. St. Edward's, 88-71 | |
| UT-Permian Basin def. UA Fort Smith, 78-74 | |
| Lubbock Christian def. Panhandle State 67-61 | |
| St. Mary's def. Oklahoma Christian, 70-66 |
| TAMU-International def. Newman, 83-78 |
| | |
| Saturday, January 30 | | |
| UA Fort Smith at St. Edward's | | 3:00 PM |
| Dallas Baptist at Lubbock Christian | 2:00 PM |
| Rogers State at UT-Permian Basin | | 3:00 PM |
| Newman at St. Mary's | 3:00 PM |
| Oklahoma Christian at TAMU-International | 3:00 PM |
