TULSA, Okla. – The Rogers State women's basketball team's season ended with a 72-65 loss to No. 2-seeded St. Mary's in the Heartland Conference Quarterfinals on Thursday (March 3) at the Union Multipurpose Activity Center.
 
The Hillcats (8-20) were hot from the field, hitting 50 percent (23-46) from the field, including better than 70 percent in both the second and third periods. However, the Cats committed a season-high 30 turnovers due to the Rattlers' full-court pressure as StMU totaled 33 points off turnovers to steal the win in the conference tournament.  
 
RSU hung with the Rattlers until the very end. Heather Roberts tied the score at 58-58 with 5:01 left in the game on a kick-out 3-pointer.
 
After back-to-back baskets from StMU, Natasha Kindred pulled the Cats to within two at 62-60 at the 3:08 mark.
 
The Rattlers took the momentum with a three-point play by LaBraile Fields with 1:34 remaining as her layup and free throw upped the advantage to 65-60. StMU put the game away with free throws in the final minute. Arysia Porter made four-straight attempts, and Fields added three for the final Rattler points. Roberts hit a late 3-pointer with 10 seconds left for a 70-65 score, but StMU put in two free throws in the final seconds for the 72-65 final score.
 
StMU started fast in the contest, building an early 14-7 lead in the first six minutes as the Rattlers held a 20-15 advantage after one period.
 
The navy and red caught fire from the field in the second period, shooting 70 percent to erase the seven-point deficit. Nikola Nedoroscikova hit a 3-pointer to tie the score at 30-30 with 1:26 remaining before halftime to cap a 7-0 run. The score was tied, 32-32, at the half.
 
In the third period, RSU continued its strong shooting from the field as the Cats posted a 77.8 percent (7-9) shooting performance, including 75 percent (3-4) from 3. Somehow the Rattlers managed to outscore the Hillcats in the third period to take a slight 52-51 edge into the final stanza.
 
The Cats continued to play with the No. 2-seeded Rattlers in the fourth period with the score tied at 58-58 before the final spurt from StMU.
 
Lauren Schuldt scored a team-high 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting. In her final game in the navy and red, Kindred totaled 13 points and eight rebounds in only 21 minutes. Roberts went for 14 points in her final contest. Nedoroscikova added 13 points and a game-high six assists.
 
The 50 percent shooting percentage was the second-best performance for the Hillcats this season. RSU finished shooting a season-best 44.4 percent (8-18) from 3. From the free throw line, the navy and red went 11-of-13 shooting for 84.6 percent, ranking second this season.