LAS VEGAS, N.M. – Luck be a lady, but for Rogers State women's basketball lady luck ran out in day two of the New Mexico Highlands Conference Challenge as the Hillcats fell to Western New Mexico, 63-61, at John A. Wilson Complex Saturday evening.
RSU led by as many as seven points late in the third quarter following a
Darian Jackson layup as the Hillcats closed out the period with a 46-39 advantage. The Mustangs responded however, with five unanswered points to begin the fourth quarter and trimmed the Hillcat lead to two points with under eight minutes to go.
WNMU tied the contest twice over the next two minutes of play but back-to-back buckets by
Lauren Schuldt gave RSU a 52-48 advantage with 5:55 remaining. The Mustangs responded with another five point run capped by a Shoniquia Coleman 3-pointer. Schuldt answered with a bucket at the other end and
Lindsey Byfield's layup gave the Hillcats a three point lead with 5:25 remaining.
The Hillcats went cold over the next four minutes of play and saw the lead slip away as the Mustangs took a 62-56 lead before a pair of free throws from Jackson broke the RSU scoreless streak trimming the deficit to four points. A defensive stop by RSU led to a 3-pointer from
Courtney Smith with 49 seconds remaining and put the Hillcats within one at 62-61.
RSU was unable to capitalize on a trio of opportunities in the final seconds before falling 63-61 for its first loss of the year.
Western New Mexico (2-0) held a 30-27 lead at halftime after leading by eight points early in the second quarter. The Mustangs were led by a 13 point first half performance by Jordan Gutierrez, who finished with 16 points. Coleman tallied 14 points while Keshaun Clark totaled 12 on the night for the Mustangs.
The Hillcats were led in scoring by Jackson with 15 points. Schuldt finished with a double-double, her first of the season, with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Natasha Kindred added nine points and
Rachel Block chipped seven as the Hillcats shot 35-percent from the field.
Rogers State (1-1) returns to action on Wednesday, November 16 hosting the Northeastern State RiverHawks at the Claremore Expo with tip set for 5:30 p.m.
Fans can receive free admission to Wednesday's game if they bring a new puzzle or board game to benefit RSU's Partner in Education Claremont Elementary School. The first 300 fans will also receive a foam finger upon admission to the Expo.
The game will be broadcast on RSU Radio 91.3 FM and live video streaming provided on the Hillcat Network at
www.rsuhillcats.com/live.
