CLAREMORE, Okla. - Rogers State nearly pulled off the upset of the year as the Hillcats played No. 4 Oklahoma Baptist off its feet before falling 71-64 in front of a capacity crowd of 2,156 Thursday night at the Claremore Expo.
 

RSU outscored the Lady Bison 39-30 in the second half and trailed by just two points with 1:29 remaining. A bucket by Natatsha Hogg and four made free throws allowed OBU to escape with the win and claim at least a share of the Sooner Athletic Conference championship in the process.
 

The Hillcats were on the verge of getting blown out early in the first half. They fell behind 15-4 at the start and trailed by 24 points with four minutes to play before halftime. RSU managed to cut the deficit to 16 at the break and then open the second half on a 15-4 run.
 

The Cats played perhaps their most inspired half of basketball of the season in front of a huge home crowd on Senior Night. Senior Azzie Knox tallied 13 of her team-high 19 points after the intermission to lead the charge. 
 

Sophia Piggie drilled a 3-pointer to cut the lead to five with 14:11 left. However, the lead quickly ballooned back to 15 on a trey by Taujhnae Travis. Despite the setback, the Cats refused to quit. They answered with a 19-6 run capped by Knox's three-point-play with 1:29 left. Hogg answered on the other end and OBU held RSU to just one point the rest of the way.
 

It was a bittersweet finale for seniors Knox, Tasha Parker and Hannah Owen. Sophomore Katie Rice joined Knox in double figures with 12 points. Travis scored a game-high 27 points for the Lady Bison. RSU was held to just 25 percent shooting in the first half and finished at 34 percent for the night. OBU shot 47 percent and connected on half of its 12 3-point attempts.
 

Rogers State (16-13, 10-11) lost its third straight game but remains in sixth place in the SAC standings. The Hillcats will close out the regular season Saturday at St. Gregory's. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the game will be carried live on RSU Radio 91.3 FM.