BILLINGS, Mont. – St. Edward's men's basketball surrendered 50 points in the first half and couldn't close the 11-point halftime deficit despite several runs in an 83-76 loss to Rogers State to close the weekend 2-1. 
 
JAMISON KAY led four Hilltoppers in double figures with 17 points and six rebounds, but St. Edward's played without all-conference forward BLAKE NIELSEN after he subbed out just shy of the fourth minute.
 
Point guard GAVINO RAMOS picked up his own scoring with 10 points on six shots in the first half. Kay hit all five of his free-throw attempts, scoring nine points, and LATIEK BRISCOE added seven points before the break. However, the Hilltoppers surrendered an 11-0 run late in the half, and Rogers State's Sam Davidson and Kofi Hamilton combined for 21 points to give their team a 50-39 lead. 
 
Kay and LEWIS ROWE combined for 15 points in the second half, Briscoe and CONOR MCMANUS each hit a pair of 3-pointers, and the Hilltoppers made several runs to cut the game to a single possession but couldn't quite get over the hump. 
 
Rowe stole the ball and found Kay for a layup to tie the game at 71 with 4:57 remaining, but Rogers State closed the game on a 12-5 run, with Ramos finding Kay in the final few seconds for a layup. 
 
Hamilton and Caden Fry kept the Hilltoppers at bay with a combined 18 points in the second half. St. Edward's struggled from the free-throw line (17-for-27) and 3-point line (7-for-24) throughout the game. 
 
Ramos ended the game with 15 points, six assists, and four steals. Briscoe added 13 points off the bench, and Rowe contributed 11 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Hamilton led Rogers State with 21 points. 
 
St. Edward's will hit the road again next weekend, traveling to Colorado to play Colorado Mesa and Colorado Christian in the South Central Regional Crossover.