No. 13 Rogers State Edges St. Gregory's

Rogers State pulled away from St. Gregory's in the second half, posting a 75-68 win Wednesday night at W.P. Wood Field House. The No. 13-ranked Hillcats shot 65 percent from the floor after halftime, breaking open a game that featured seven ties and 11 lead changes.

SGU senior Leticia Silva scored a game-high 26 points on 8 of 10 shooting. Kalie Lucas had 16 points and six assists for the Cavs.

The home team shot 46 percent from the floor but committed 19 turnovers. The Hillcats converted those miscues into 23 points. Logan Froese led RSU with 19 points on a 7 of 11 night from the floor.

Overall, the Hillcats shot 55 percent for the game, including a 5 of 11 night from three-point range.

Neither team led by more than five early on. It was 18-14 Cavs at the 10:46 mark when the home team finally created some separation. SGU made five of its next seven shots during a 9-2 run to push its lead to 11 with 7:47 to go in the half. The Hillcats responded quickly, though, going on an 11-2 spurt to make it a 29-27 game with just less than four minutes remaining. It was knotted at 34 at the half, the sixth tie of the game.

SGU shot 52 percent from the floor in the first half, but turnovers cost the home team. RSU converted 13 Cavalier miscues into 12 points. Silva led all scorers with 11 points on 4 of 5 shooting at the break.

The lead changed hands eight times in the first six minutes of the second half before the Hillcats opened up an 8-point lead with 11:04 left after a 10-1 run. SGU had three turnovers and was 0-for-4 from the floor during that stretch.

The lead ballooned to as many as 11 on three occasions. It was 66-55 Hillcats with 6:43 to go when SGU made its final push. The Cavs outscored the visitors 13-4 over a stretch of five minutes, which was capped off by a Silva three-pointer from the wing to make it 70-68 with 1:48 to play.

But SGU came up empty on its last four possessions, and the Hillcats hit converted 3 of 4 free throws down the stretch to ice it.

SGU (11-18, 4-11 SAC) finishes the regular season at home on Saturday against Mid-America Christian. That game is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Rogers State (22-7, 12-3) rounds out the regular season on Saturday as the Cats host No. 2 Oklahoma City at 3 p.m. RSU will celebrate its seniors between games as they play in their final game at the Claremore Expo.