Hillcats Unable to Top Hilltoppers at Home, 72-67
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January 13, 2017
CLAREMORE, Okla. – Despite holding a lead into the second half the Rogers State women were topped by the conference leading St. Edward's Hilltoppers, 72-67, Thursday night at the Claremore Expo.
RSU saw a one-point halftime advantage diminish in the third quarter as the Hilltoppers outscored the Hillcats 13-11 to take a 47-46 lead into the final quarter.
The Hillcats were forced into difficult shots and turnovers as SEU eventually built 70-57 lead with under a minute to go. RSU responded as Heather Roberts scored eight unanswered points to pull the Hillcats back within five with 15 seconds to go. A pair of free throws by the Hilltoppers was answered by a Lauren Schuldt baseline jumper but the clock ran out on the Hillcats last minute rally as SEU remained undefeated in conference play with a 72-67 victory.
The first quarter saw the teams trade blows before RSU took a lead it would lose for the remainder of the period as the Hillcats led 25-19 entering the second quarter. Coach Bobby Cope's squad would lead start to finish in the second quarter despite the Hilltoppers closing on a 11-3 run over the final five minutes as RSU led 35-34 at the intermission. RSU shot 61 percent from the field in the first half of play and went 1-of-1 from 3-point.
Shakera Barnes led all scorers with 22 points in 32 minutes of play for SEU. Bailey Hill added 14 points as St. Edward's (10-5, 6-0) nabbed 15 steals on 27 RSU turnovers.
Nikola Nedoroscikova and Natasha Kindred led the Hillcats with 14 points while Rachel Block added 10 points. Nedoroscikova added six assists for the fifth time this season. Lauren Schuldt finished in double-figure scoring for the fifth time in conference play as the sophomore forward earned her third double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds. RSU shot 49 percent from the field but struggled from the charity stripe hitting 60 percent.
Rogers State (5-11, 1-5) returns to action Saturday, January 14 playing host to Oklahoma Christian at 1 p.m. at the Claremore Expo. Live play-by-play coverage will be provided on RSU Radio 91.3 FM, on RSU TV Channel 35.1 and on the Hillcat Network at http://www.rsuhillcats.com/live.
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