TAHLEQUAH, Okla.- The Rogers State women's basketball team picked up a 62-59 victory against the in-state rival Northeastern State RiverHawks at the NSU Event Center on Saturday in the final game of the season.
 
Shay Stone set the freshman block recorded (40) for a season with her two blocks in the game and three Hillcats finished in double-figures, as the Hillcats (6-16, 6-16 MIAA) snapped a six-game losing skid with their win over the RiverHawks (6-16, 6-16 MIAA).
 
How it Happen: Vanessa Gajdosova got the scoring going in the game with a three-point jumper early in the first. The two teams would trade the lead four times for the remainder of the first quarter in a tightly contested battle. The Hillcats would finish the quarter with a 19-14 advantage.
 
Rogers State was able to extend the lead to seven after a two-point jump was made by senior Lilly Garner at the 3:09 mark of the second, which was the biggest lead of the half, but the RiverHawks would keep it close going into half as the they outscored the Hillcats 14-to-13 in the quarter. The Hillcats went into the locker room with a 32-28 lead.
 
The RiverHawks were able to take the lead of the second half at the 4:37 mark in the third with a three-pointer. However, a layup 90 seconds later by Stone, gave the lead back to the Hillcats. For the remainder of the quarter, the Hillcats and RiverHawks would trade leads with the Hillcats holding a 46-45 advantage going into the fourth quarter.
 
A 10-4 Hillcat run to begin the fourth, that was sparked by a lay-up from Thompson, gave the Hillcats their largest lead of the game at nine points. A RiverHawk turnover with :08 seconds left, followed by a Thompson steal and lay-up, sealed the win for the Hillcats, as they went on to beat the RiverHawks by a final score of 62-59.
 
Key Statistic: Rogers State shot 21-for-44 (47 percent) from the field in the game, while Northeastern State shot 21-for-57 (36 percent) from the field in the game.
 
Players of Note: Gajdosova finished with a double-double for the day. She finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, and a steal.
 
Samariah Thompson finished the day with 17 points, shooting 5-for-8 from the field. She also recorded three assists, and three steals.
 
Bailey Kliewer finished the day with 10 points, shooting 4-for-6 from the field. She also recorded five rebounds and a block.
 
Garner finished her final game as a Hillcat with nine points. The senior also recorded two assists, a rebound, and a steal.
 
Stone finished the game with six points, shooting 2-for-3 from the field. She also recorded eight rebounds, two assists, and had a pair of blocks.
 
Notes from the Game: The Hillcats had a strong performance off the bench, led by 17 from Thompson. The Hillcat bench outscored Northeastern State 23-4.
 
Rogers State finished 17-for-22 at the line, shooting 77 percent. Northeastern State was 13-for-16 from the stripe, shooting 81 percent.
 
Northeastern State outrebounded the Hillcats 33-30, including 11 offensive rebounds from the RiverHawks compared to just four offensive boards for the Hillcats. However, NSU had just seven second-chance points, while RSU finished with five.
 
Up Next: Following Saturday's game at Northeastern State, the Hillcats will head into the offseason after finishing the year 10^th in the MIAA Standings.
 
In a normal season with a full 10-team field, the Hillcats would have qualified for the MIAA Tournament.