FORT SMITH, Ark. – Senior Katy Harsen scored a game-high 19 points breaking the Rogers State women's basketball single-season scoring record along the way in a 75-71 loss at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith in Heartland Conference action Thursday night in the season finale at the Stubblefield Center.
The Coweta, Okla., native moved atop the scoring list finishing her only season at RSU with 463 points, nine ahead of Cortney Crockett's 454-point total from the 2010-11 season.
The Lady Lions dominated the opening minutes of the game jumping in front 13-1 as the Hillcats could not find a rhythm offensively against the UAFS zone defense.
Mikaila Newton ended the RSU drought scoring on a put back after grabbing an offensive rebound underneath the basket. The bucket started a 6-0 run for the Hillcats clawing back into the game trailing 13-7.
RSU's offense was held in check again until Harsen knocked down her first three pointer of the night and the first for the Hillcats after missing the first 10 tries from long range shooting 4-of-21 in the opening stanza.
The Lady Lions took a 30-22 lead into halftime but RSU came out with a renewed urgency in the second half starting the frame on a 7-2 run and eventually took its first lead of the night 40-39 behind a three-point play by Breanna Burford with 12:26 to play.
The teams traded leads in a see-saw affair until UAFS regained control on a 7-0 run for a 66-60 advantage with less than three minutes remaining in regulation.
The Hillcats continued to hang around until the final buzzer as the Lady Lions missed 8-of-11 chances from the free throw line to seal the game in the final minute but managed to hold on for the 75-71 victory closing the season.
Senior Clarissa Cannon ended her RSU career with 11 points and nine rebounds while Burford narrowly missed a double-double as well finishing with 10 points and nine rebounds. Taylor Jeffs hit three of the Hillcats' 12 three pointers for nine points in her final game while fellow senior Adrianna Leatherbury also saw the floor.
Justyne Huber tallied 19 points to lead the Lady Lions hitting 7-of-8 from the floor while Brittany Holbert reached double figures with 10 points.
Rogers State ended the 2013-14 season with a 9-17 record going 6-14 in its first season as a member of the Heartland Conference.
