Loper Men Suffer 88-84 OT Loss At Rogers State
The Rogers State Hillcats closed regulation on a 12-6 run and made 33 free throws to get past Nebraska Kearney in overtime, 88-84, Saturday evening in Claremore, Okla.
The hard-luck Lopers (6-11, 4-5) have now lost six games by a total of 15 points and are 0-2 in overtime contests. Meanwhile, RSU (15-7, 6-4) has four wins by a total of 11 points and owns a 69-68 exhibition victory against Division I Oral Roberts.
"Those good old college trys get real old real fast," said UNK head coach Marty Levinson on the KRVN Radio post-game show. "I thought we did enough to win that game but unfortunately, we didn't make the right plays, didn't finish them off down the stretch."
In a game with 14 lead changes and 18 ties, UNK was up 71-65 with five and change remaining after a layup by guard Allen Taylor (Rogers, Ark.). The Lopers almost went three minutes without scoring before guard Ja'Bryant Hill (Duncanville, Texas) nailed a three to make it 74-69 at the 2:34 mark. However, RSU went 4 for 4 at the line and 2 for 2 from the field to force extra time tied at 77. UNK missed three of its last four shots, including Hill seeing a potential game-winning layup roll off the rim with about two seconds remaining.
The Lopers went 2 for 4 at the line to start overtime before RSU went on a 5-0 run to take the lead for good. After UNK missed a three, junior forward Caden Fry converted a fast break layup and then sank a three that made it 82-79 with 2:20 remaining. In overtime, the Lopers were 2 of 7 from the field.
A 71% free throw shooting team coming in, the 'Cats made 33 of 38 freebies (87%) to overcome UNK's best shooting night (55.6%) of the year. However, junior Benard Omooria missed the second of two freebies with 18 seconds left and the score at 86-84. UNK had a chance to tie or win the game but, instead, RSU stole the ball. They made the two subsequent free throws to complete the scoring. This is the first time a Loper opponent has made 30 freebies in a game in seven years.
"Every other MIAA game has been a battle, like a heavyweight bout. It was kind of touchy from the start; they were consistent with the way they called it all day long. But that's inconsistent with the way the whistle been called in other games," said Levinson. "We did a bad job adjusting to it I suppose."
Senior guard Anthony Marshall Jr. gave UNK fits all night and ended with 18 points (10 of 12 FT's), seven rebounds and three assists. Next, Fry and junior guard Jabyrn Anderson had 20 points apiece with Fry adding nine boards. The pair combined to go 14 of 22 from the field and 9 of 10 at the line. Finally, seven different 'Cats made at least two freebies.
Both Taylor and Omaha senior Chase Thompson scored 21 points for the Lopers. Taylor logged a team-best 42 minutes and, like Thompson, made nine shots. Before fouling out in overtime, Hill had 18 points and three assists with post Taylor Harrell (Huntsville, Texas) limited to 15 minutes due to five fouls. He still provided eight points and four boards. Finally, Bellevue senior guard Trey Hepburn had eight points thanks to two triples and the Lopers went 11 of 17 at the stripe.
UNK heads to Central Missouri (10-9, 5-5) and top-ranked Washburn (19-0, 10-0) next week.