CLAREMORE, Okla. – Rogers State women's basketball (6-6, 1-5 MIAA) fell 84-44 to Missouri Western (10-3, 5-2 MIAA) on Thursday.
 
Alayzha Knapp led the Hillcats with 23 points as well as three rebounds, two assists and a steal. Alyza Aikins added nine points with a team-high seven rebounds, three steals and an assist.
 
The Griffons started the game on fire as they opened things on a 13-0 run. RSU found their footing and began to fight back, cutting the deficit to 18-8 and the end of the first quarter. Unfortunately, Western outscored the Hillcats 21-10 in the second period to carry a 39-18 advantage into the break.
 
RSU began to show some signs of life in the beginning of the second half as they started the third quarter on a 7-2 run. They slowly began to chip away at the deficit and managed to get the lead down to 14 points at 48-34. In fact, they outscored the Griffons 20-15 in the period.
 
Unfortunately, MWSU dismantled any momentum built up by the Hillcats in the fourth quarter as outscored RSU 30-6 in the period to claim the 84-44 win.
 
The Hillcats will be back in action on Saturday, Jan. 6 as they play host to Northwest Missouri. Tipoff is set for 1:30 p.m.