CLAREMORE, Okla. – The Rogers State women's basketball team fell behind 44-12 at halftime and couldn't recover despite a strong second half as the Hillcats fell, 71-46, to UA Fort Smith on Saturday (Jan. 21) at the Claremore Expo Center.
The Lions started the game with 11 of the first 13 points for an 11-2 advantage midway through the first period. RSU closed to within five at 11-6 on a
Rachel Block layup with 3:49 left in the period. After the basket, UAFS ended the period with a 12-0 run for a 23-6 lead after 10 minutes.
In the second period, the Lions shot 72.7 percent (8-11), including 75 percent on 3s to push the margin to 44-12 at halftime. For the half, UAFS went 16-of-32 shooting for 53.1 percent from the field. The Hillcats finished the first half with an 18.8 percent shooting percentage on 6-of-32 shooting.
The navy and red outscored the Lions in the second half as the offense got going for 34 second-half points. After an even third period with each team totaling 14 points, RSU put up 20 points in the final period to cut the deficit to the final score of 71-46. In the second half, the Cats shot 40.7 percent (11-27) and held UAFS to 33.3 percent (10-30).
A balanced offense by the Lions saw five players finish in double figures. Maya Perry posted a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds, both game highs. Zhanesha Dickerson registered 14 points, and Tamera Gulley added 12 points. Olivia Hanson and Tayla Taylor each ended with 11 points. The Lions finished shooting 43.5 percent (27-62) from the field and 46.2 percent (6-13) from 3-point range.
Rachel Block and
Darian Jackson scored seven points each for the Hillcats. Block, Jackson and
Nikola Nedoroscikova pulled down a team-high five rebounds.
Heather Roberts totaled a game-high two blocks.
The Hillcats continue their five-game home stretch by hosting Texas A&M International on Thursday (Jan. 26) at 5:30 p.m. at the Claremore Expo Center. Coverage will be available on RSU TV (35.2), 91.3 FM and the Hillcat Network at
www.rsuhillcats.com/live.
