CLAREMORE, Okla. – Rogers State men's basketball won its fifth straight game with a 68-56 victory over Texas A&M International on Saturday (Jan. 20) at the Claremore Expo Center. RSU stayed in a tie for first place in the Heartland Conference at 5-2 in the league and 14-5 overall.

The Hillcats (14-5, 5-2 Heartland Conference) were efficient from the floor at 53.8 percent (21-39), including 59.1 percent (13-22) in the second half. RSU did some damage from the free throw line at 19-of-26 shooting for 73.1 percent as the Cats pulled away late.

In a slow start, the visiting Dustdevils managed the first five points in almost four minutes of action for their largest lead of the contest at 5-0 with 16:35 remaining in the first half.

The Cats responded and gained a 20-14 advantage on a two-handed slam by Don Leak at the 5:40 mark of the first half. RSU held a 27-22 edge at halftime after two late Baron Smith Jr. free throws.

After the navy and red went up 34-28 on a Tate Turner basket in the early minutes of the second half, TAMIU cut the deficit to only one at 34-33. RSU pushed back out to six-point lead with a Smith jumper, and a Chase Littlejohn 3-pointer made it 39-33 at the 12:17 mark.

The Dustdevils pulled to within one again at 45-44 with 8:13 left after a Brendan Ortiz 3-pointer, but Smith totaled five straight RSU points, including a three-point play, to extend the margin to 50-44 at the 6:55 mark.

The Hillcats withstood one more Dustdevil surge as TAMIU cut the score to 51-48. Saint Hilaire responded with a 3-pointer at the top of the key for a 54-48 score as the junior tallied 10 of his points in the final five and a half minutes of the game to help the navy and red secure the win.

Littlejohn ended any hope for the Dustdevils with another triple to make it 68-56 with a 56 seconds remaining.

Smith posted a game-high 21 points, going 9-of-11 shooting from the free throw line in 35 minutes. Saint Hilaire poured in 13 points and a game-high eight rebounds. Chase Littlejohn scored 11 points with three 3-pointers.

Ortiz scored a team-high 13 points for TAMIU. Jeremy Wright totaled 12 points and seven assists. Four Dustdevils scored in double figures.

The Hillcats play host to UA Fort Smith on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. inside the Claremore Expo Center. Follow the action on the Hillcat Network, RSU TV and 91.3 FM.