FORT SMITH, Ark. – The Rogers State women's basketball team used a third-quarter rally to get back into the game, but could not overcome a double-digit halftime deficit falling 58-46 at UA Fort Smith Saturday afternoon at the Stubblefield Center.
 
In the season finale, the Hillcats used an 11-1 stretch late in the third frame to make it a two possession game, 43-37, as Courtney Smith hit three from long range in the run. RSU scored 21 points in the quarter, the only time they reached double figures, only to have the Lady Lions weather the stretch and secure the victory.
 
Rachel Block opened the scoring hitting a mid-range jumper before the lead moved back and forth. The Lady Lions scored their first nine points from behind the three-point line taking a 9-6 advantage. UAFS hit four triples in the first quarter and used a 10-0 run late for a 16-8 lead through 10 minutes.
 

After the home side scored the opening basket of the second stanza, the Hillcats closed the gap to under double digits, 18-11, on a basket from Carlye Bohannan and a Block free throw. Block snapped an 8-0 run for UAFS spanning more than five minutes and Lindsey Byfield beat the halftime buzzer with a triple as the Cats entered the break trailing 29-16.
 
The Lady Lions stretched their lead to 16 points, 42-26, converting from long range again in the middle of the third quarter. Smith hit three, three pointers, including two 30 seconds apart, as the Hillcats came storming back into the contest closing the frame with an 11-1 run in the final 2:37 cutting the margin to 43-47 at the end of three frames.
 
An and-one play by Kami Bunch with 5:14 to play in the fourth put RSU within eight, 54-46, but UAFS closed the game scoring the final four points for the 58-46 win moving into a tie for second place in the Heartland Conference standings.
 
Block and Smith finished with a team-high nine points for the Hillcats, while Natasha Kindred added eight points and a game-high seven rebounds.
 
It marked the final game in the careers of Kami Bunch and Emily Gamble playing for the navy and red. Bunch ends her tenure as the all-time leader in assists and ranks in the top 10 in points scored. The Hillcats close their season with a record of 14-12 (9-9 Heartland Conference) posting their sixth winning season in program history to finish sixth in the league.