OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - Rogers State earned its first conference road win of the season with a 63-49 victory over Mid-America Christian Saturday night at the Gaulke Activity Center in Oklahoma City.
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The Evangels hung with the Hillcats for a half thanks to a solid shooting effort, but were shut down by RSU's stifling defense in the second stanza. The Cats held MACU to only five field goals in the second half on its home floor.
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Junior guards Hunter Peterson and Kail Bassett spearheaded a long-range assault for the Hillcats. The duo teamed up for seven 3-pointers. Peterson finished with a game-high 18 points while Bassett matched a season-high with nine.
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The teams traded the lead 13 times in first period with both squads shooting the ball effectively. The Hillcats shot 50 percent from the floor while MACU connected on 52 percent of its shots. RSU led by as many as nine before giving up five straight points to close the half.
April Hale cut the RSU lead to two with the opening basket of the second period, but it was all Cats after that. Coach Amy Williams' club rattled off a 22-3 run over the next 10 minutes to put the game away. After the hot start, the Evangels managed a total of just 16 points on 26 percent shooting in the second half and committed 24 turnovers on the night. Karina Trindade was the only MACU player to reach double figures with 13 points.
RSU received a balance scoring effort from nine different players in the contest and proved it could put up points without a major contribution from Jenny Hardin. Hardin was held to just five points on the night, marking the first time she failed to reach double figures in the scoring all season. Yoda Woods, Autumn Thompson and Logan Froese each tallied six points. Woods grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.
Rogers State (12-3, 4-3) also avenged last season's road loss to the Evangels who fell to 8-7, 1-6 on the season. The Hillcats will travel to Shawnee, Okla., Thursday night to face St. Gregory's. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. and the game will be carried live on RSU Radio 91.3 FM.
