CLAREMORE, OKLA - Rogers State women's basketball (7-11, 1-8 MIAA) fought valiantly, but could not contain No. 11 Fort Hays State (15-2, 6-2 MIAA) as they came up short 60-50 on Thursday, holding the Tigers to a season-low in points.
"FHSU is a great basketball team, but we struggled to finish shots and gave them too many easy looks," said Head Coach
Heather Davis. "We adjusted well in the fourth quarter to their pressure but struggled with their size and length. We have to do a better job finishing, because when we get 12 offensive rebounds, we have to take advantage, and not scoring any second-chance points does no good for us. I am proud of us for competing, and we did a great job stealing the ball and forcing some turnovers."
Alyza Aikins led the team with 13 points and came away with two steals.
Ella Hafer scored 12 points and grabbed seven boards.
Jaiana Wiggins and
Destiny Jones were forces on defense, as they each recorded seven rebounds and two steals. Wiggins also added two blocks and two assists.
Cheyan McDaniel scored nine points and tallied two steals and a block.
Kate Melton also contributed two assists.
The beginning of the game was a defensive showdown as neither team could score a bucket. At the 5:16 mark, FHSU led the Hillcats 5-3, and Aikins had the lone 3-pointer. The Tigers scored two buckets, but Jones hit a pair of free throws, making the score 9-5 with FHSU holding the advantage.
In the second quarter, RSU kept stride as both teams got going offensively with 18 points apiece in the period. The Hillcats briefly took the lead at 23-22 when Wiggins knocked down a pair of free throws with 2:09 left in the half. However, the Tigers closed the quarter on a 5-0 run to hold a 27-23 lead at intermission.
RSU got within two points in the third quarter and had chances to tie or take the lead on multiple occasions. Unfortunately, FHSU proved why they are the 11th team in the country and closed the quarter on a 10-0 run to push their lead to 43-31 going into the fourth quarter.
RSU saved its best quarter for last, as they outscored the Tigers 19-17 in the final 10 minutes. The Hillcats never could cut the deficit to single digits, but did close the game on a 4-0 run and held FHSU scoreless in the final two minutes of play. Despite the late effort by RSU, the Tigers left Claremore with a 60-50 victory.
The Hillcats look to get back on the winning track on Saturday, Jan. 25 when they take on Nebraska Kearney at the Claremore Expo Center. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.
