Box Score CLAREMORE, Okla. (Feb. 24, 2018) – For much of the basketball game Saturday afternoon, it looked like Oklahoma Christian would do what the Eagles never before had done – beat Rogers State at the Claremore Expo Center.

But Rogers State seized control in the final minutes and that proved enough for the Hillcats to escape with an 80-75 win in the season finale for both teams. It was the Hillcats' 10th win at home over OC in as many tries.

The loss dropped OC (10-17, 6-10 Heartland Conference) into seventh place in the league standings and the Eagles will face No. 2 seed (and conference co-champ) Arkansas-Fort Smith in the Heartland tournament quarterfinals on Thursday, while fifth-seeded Rogers State (18-10, 9-7) will play No. 4 seed Lubbock Christian (Texas).

OC's six regular-season Heartland wins were the most for the program since the 2013-14 season, when the Eagles played an 18-game league schedule. The Eagles will be making their first appearance in the Heartland tournament and their first appearance in any conference tournament since 2012.

OC fell Saturday despite a standout performance from Elijah Strickland. The senior guard tied OC's single-game record for 3-point shooting percentage, going 5 of 5 from behind the arc, and his 19 points moved him into 25th place on the program's career scoring list – past current assistant coach Kendre Talley (2010-14) and Danny Brown (1993-97) – with 1,342 points.

"Scrappy game today," OC head coach Cory Cole said. "Our execution was better and we did a solid job offensively. We struggled to guard the dribbler in some key moments and gave up too many points at the rim.

"It's playoff time and the madness of March. I'm blessed and excited to be taking this team to the Heartland tournament for the first time in program history."

OC led the Hillcats for more than 30 minutes. A jumper by Abel Rodriguez – who scored 11 points – gave OC its biggest lead at 23-11 with 10:41 left in the first half and the Eagles were up 40-35 at halftime. A quick 3-pointer by Strickland and a bucket by Charles Shaw rebuilt OC's advantage to 45-35 with 18:41 left.

But a 9-0 spurt – fueled by two 3-pointers by Gage Loy and another by Chase Littlejohn – pulled the Hillcats within a point. OC withstood that surge and was up 62-56 after a basket by Shaw with 8:19 left before another 9-0 run by the Hillcats put them ahead.

A three-point play by Jordan Box pulled OC even at 65-65 with 4:51 left, but an 8-2 run by Rogers State gave the Hillcats a six-point lead with 2:22 left and a 3-pointer by Loy with 39 seconds left made it 76-69, effectively ending OC's hopes.

Roderick Smith posted his second straight double-double – and his seventh of the season – for the Eagles with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Box also had 11 points for OC. Baron Smith Jr. led Rogers State with 26 points and seven assists, with Loy adding a career-high 18 points and Tate Turner scoring 12.