CLAREMORE, Okla. - Rogers State women's basketball (8-19, 2-16 MIAA) took down archrival Northeastern State (10-17, 6-12 MIAA) in a hard-fought 64-61 win on Wednesday.
 
"Our girls have been working so hard, and deserve a win like this," said Head Coach Heather Davis. "We defended well and played well on offense. I am proud of our girls, and it feels great to be on the winning side in this league. Late in the game, we took care of the ball well and made the free throws late in the game when we needed them."
 
Ella Hafer led the team in scoring with 19 points and was one rebound shy of a double-double with nine boards. She also shot 72.9 percent from the field, going 8-for-11. Kate Melton scored 18 points, and nine of those points came from the charity stripe, where she shot 90 percent. Melton also recorded three assists and two steals. Cheyan McDaniel scored 15 points off the bench and was feeling it from 3-point land, going 5-for-8. McDaniel and Jaiana Wiggins each had a block. Alyza Aikins collected two steals.
 
Both teams competed hard in the first quarter, but the Riverhawks held an 18-14 advantage. RSU got the offense going in the second quarter, scoring 22 points. They kept chipping away and took the lead at the 4:17 mark when Melton made a free throw giving RSU a 26-25 lead. The rest of the quarter went back and forth and NSU held a four-point 37-33 lead. Right before halftime, McDaniel made a spectacular play where she stole the ball from an NSU player and nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer, making the score 37-36 in the Riverhawks' favor.
 
The third quarter continued to go back and forth, where it featured two ties and five lead changes. RSU kept making plays late in the quarter, as Melton hit a long shot from downtown with 25 seconds to play giving RSU a 50-49 lead with 10 minutes left.
 
In the fourth quarter, RSU never trailed and built a double-digit lead, but NSU tried to mount a comeback late. The Hillcats began the quarter on an 11-1 run, starting with McDaniel knocking down a contested 3-pointer. RSU found themselves in front 61-51 with 3:13 to play. However, NSU would not go away and went on a 10-1 run to get within a point with five seconds to play. Thankfully, the Hillcats were able to put the game on ice with made free throws for the 64-61 victory.
 
The Hillcats will close out the regular season at home against Arkansas-Fort Smith on Saturday, March 1. Tipoff is set for 1:30 p.m.