DICKINSON, N.D. – The Rocky Mountain College men's basketball team kept its winning streak to start the season going as they pulled away from Dickinson State for a 90-71 win on Thursday night.
 
Rocky (5-0) used a 10-2 run late in the first half to help them to a 39-33 halftime advantage. The Battlin' Bears then started the second half by scoring 11 of the first 13 points. The road squad put away a fifth straight win with a 15-4 run to lead 79-56 with 6:14 remaining.
 
The Battlin' Bears shot 55.2 percent from the field and made 10 of 22 from beyond the arc. They shared the ball with 24 assists on 37 field goals. Rocky only committed 12 turnovers and they controlled 36 rebounds.
 
Austin Payne led the way with 21 points off the bench. His third 20-point outing of the season came on 7 of 12 shooting with four makes from deep. Payne also grabbed six rebounds and had one block and one steal.
 
Dickinson State (2-3) shot 42.2 percent from the field and collected 38 rebounds, including 13 offensive. The Blue Hawks committed 18 turnovers with Rocky getting 11 steals.
 
Jared Samuelson added 17 points and four blocks for the Battlin' Bears. Latrelle Franklin posted a double-double with 15 points and 11 assists. He is the first Rocky player with double-digit assists since Tyree Anderson in 2015.
 
Chad Kananen made three triples to score 11 points while adding four steals. Satchel McDonald also had 11 in the win.
 
Dickinson got 20 points from Brian Neal and 15 from Marcus White.
Rocky is now off until November 24 when they will face Presentation at the Isreal Strong Memorial Classic in Aberdeen, S.D.