CLAREMORE, Okla. – Dunwa Omot scored 19 points on 6 of 10 shooting from the field and 4 of 7 from deep, while
Cliff McCray added 18 points, seven rebounds, and five assists to help the Southwest Minnesota State men's basketball team earn a 72-62 road victory over Rogers State on Friday night at Holiday Inn Express Regional Challenge, hosted by the Hillcats.
SMSU closed the game shooting 51 percent (25 of 49) from the field, while limiting Rogers State to 44 percent shooting (23 of 52).
Freshman
Mason Lund poured in 11 points on 4 of 6 shooting, adding four rebounds, and
Anthony Costello added 10 points.
Jake Phipps filled the stat sheet, scoring seven points, grabbing seven rebounds, and dishing five assists while recording a steal and four blocked shots.
After nearly three scoreless minutes to open the night, the Mustangs revved up offensively, doubling up the Hillcats at 32-16 with 5:47 left in the first half. During the stretch, SMSU shot 11 of 17 from the field and 6 of 9 from three. The Mustangs would get scoring from seven different players during the stretch, with Omot leading the way with nine points.
The RSU closed the half on a 15-7 run, closing the Mustang lead to 39-31 at the break.
The Mustangs immediately responded to open the second half, outscoring the Hillcats 21-7 in the first eight minutes and five seconds. SMSU shot 8 of 12 from the field in the run, with Omot and McCray combining for 15 points to give the Mustangs a 60-38 lead.
RSU charged back, going on a 22-4 run of its own to close the gap to four at 64-60 with 2:47 left in the game. McCray would end the run with four free throws before a Lund layup grew the lead back to double digits at 70-60 with 57 seconds left, and each team would sink two free throws to bring the game to its final score.
Chris Whitaker led Rogers State with 18 points.
SMSU closes play in the Classic on Saturday with a 12 p.m. match-up versus Newman (Kan.).
