Men's Basketball | 1/28/2026 10:49:00 AM

GAME 20
Emporia State (7-12, 3-7 MIAA) at ROGERS STATE (12-7, 6-4 MIAA)
Thursday, January 29 • 7:30 p.m. • Claremore, Okla. • Claremore Expo Center
Series Record: RSU leads 9-4 • Last Meeting: RSU 75, at ESU 70 (Jan. 30, 2025)
Radio: KFFX 104.9FM 
Internet Audio: kvoe.com | Television: None | Internet Video: The MIAA Network
Live Stats | Ticket Info | Complete Notes in pdf
Up Next: at Central Oklahoma • 3:30 p.m. • January 31 • Edmond, Okla. • Hamilton Fieldhouse

ROGER THAT 
Emporia State heads to Claremore, Okla. to take on Rogers State in the third game of a four game road trip.

ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 7-12, 3-7 in the MIAA and have played the third toughest schedule in the country. Chris Harris leads the Hornets at 13.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Four of their losses have been by five points or less. 

ABOUT THE HILLCATS
Rogers State is 12-7, 6-4 in the MIAA. They are second in the MIAA in assists and free throw attempts. Five Hillcats are averaging in double figures. Jabryn Anderson is averaging 11.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game and had a triple double against TAMU-Kingsville.

ABOUT THE COACHES
Tom Billeter is 508-304 in his 28th season as a head coach and is 18-30 in his second season at Emporia State after going 394-224 in 21 years at Augustana. With the Vikings he won the 2016 National Championship, went to nine NCAA Tournaments, won three regular season NSIC Championships, two NSIC Tourney Championships, and 18 consecutive winning seasons.  He is 0-1 against Rogers State.
Justin Barkley is 302-162 in his 16th year at Rogers State. He is 9-4 against Emporia State.

SERIES HISTORY WITH THE HILLCATS
Rogers State leads the series 9-4 with the home team winning ten of the 13 meetings.  

LAST TIME VS ROGERS STATE
Karyiek Dixon had 19 second half points on the way to a career high 28 points but Emporia State could not finish off the comeback in a 75-70 loss to Rogers State in White Auditorium. The Hornets went on a 10-0 run capped by Dixon's old fashioned three-point play with 6:59 left to give ESU a 22-20 lead. A 12-0 run gave Rogers State a 36-26 lead with 3:01 left in the half. The Hornets started the second half on a 7-0 run to make it 42-39 with 16:55 left in the game. Rogers State would go back up by 11 with 10:42 left.  The Hornets used an 8-1 run to cut the deficit to four at 58-54 with 8:06 left. Dixon scored on a lob with 2:41 remaining and then got a steal before scoring on a jumper to get ESU within 67-66 with 1:49 left. After a Hillcat bucket with 1:17 left Malik Edwards hit two free throws with 1:03 remaining to make it 69-68. An Andrew Mason dunk gave Rogers State a 71-68 lead with 48 seconds left. Dixon scored inside with 26.2 seconds left to get the Hornets within 71-70.  Rogers State went four of four from the free throw line in the final 14.0 seconds for the final score. Dixon had a career high 28 points with eight rebounds while Malik Edwards scored 17 and Devin Conley added 13 points for Emporia State.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Emporia State was unable to contain 16th ranked Ark.-Fort Smith as a slow start hindered the Hornets in an 83-59 loss.
The Hornets scored on their first opportunity of the game to go ahead 2-0 but converted just one of their next 15 attempts while committing six turnovers over nearly 12 minutes, allowing the Lions to take a 32-9 lead. Emporia State was unable to close the gap below 16 points, as the Lions took a 43-20 lead into the break.
Ark.-Fort Smith eventually built a 71-36 advantage with ten minutes remaining, their largest lead of the game. Emporia State shot 33.3% from the floor, and just four of 20 from beyond the arc. Chris Harris was the lone Hornet in double figures with 11 points, marking his tenth consecutive game with double-digit points.
 
UP NEXT
The Hornets wrap up their four game road trip as they head to Central Oklahoma. Tip-off from Hamilton Fieldhouse in Edmond, Okla. is set for 3:30 p.m.
 
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