TULSA, Okla. — Freshman
Maddie Hendrix shined in the first exhibition of the season, but Rogers State (0-0) fell in a hard-fought battle to Tulsa (1-1) 67-40 Saturday at Donald W. Reynolds Center.
A slow started plagued the Hillcats, who were held to two points in the first quarter as the Golden Hurricane opened with a 20-point first quarter. RSU got 29 points from its bench but committed 21 turnovers, while the Golden Hurricane finished with a 45-29 rebounding edge and a 32-12 advantage in paint points.
The Hillcats were held scoreless until
Karliey Parker's jumper with one second left, as the Golden Hurricane built a 20-0 advantage before the first quarter ended. Earlier, RSU created an early second chance when Tazhia Watson rebounded
Claudia Diez's missed jumper, and the Cats also collected defensive boards from
Ataya Casaus, Watson, Diez and
Marcela Pinedo while the Golden Hurricane missed several early 3-pointers. Turnovers and fouls kept the Hillcats from settling in, with the Golden Hurricane scoring 11 points off 10 RSU turnovers and going 11-for-14 at the free-throw line in the quarter.
Destiny Jones added a steal midway through the quarter, and
Taneya Howard grabbed an offensive rebound during a later paint touch, but RSU finished the quarter 1-for-11 from the field and 0-for-5 from 3-point range.
In the second quarter, the Hillcats were held to 12 points, shooting 4-for-17 while the Golden Hurricane went 6-for-12 and took a 34-14 lead into halftime.
Karliey Parker answered the Golden Hurricane's opening basket with a 3-pointer off a
Claudia Diez assist at 9:16, then added two steals during a stretch in which RSU forced Golden Hurricane turnovers but could not consistently convert them into points. Jones made two free throws at 5:48 and Diez scored inside at 5:11, but the Golden Hurricane responded with the next five points to move ahead 32-9. Hendrix provided RSU's late offense, hitting a 3-pointer off a Parker assist with 1:19 left and adding a layup with 15 seconds remaining to account for the team's final five points of the quarter.
After halftime, RSU was held to eight points on 3-for-14 shooting in the third quarter as the Golden Hurricane outscored the Hillcats 15-8. After the Golden Hurricane's early basket made it 36-14, Watson hit a 3-pointer off a Casaus assist at 7:16 to account for the Hillcats' first points of the quarter. RSU generated steals from
Kate Melton and Howard, but four turnovers and a 1-for-4 mark at the free-throw line limited its chances to cut into the deficit.
Rafferty Powell, Parker and Hendrix added late points, but the Golden Hurricane closed the quarter with the score at 49-22.
RSU matched the Golden Hurricane 18-18 in the fourth quarter, shooting 5-for-11 from the field and 3-for-5 from 3-point range. TU opened the quarter with a pair of layups while the Hillcats committed two early turnovers, and Jones put RSU on the board with a paint jumper at 7:23. Howard recorded a steal on the next Golden Hurricane possession, and Powell hit a 3-pointer off a Melton assist at 6:35 before
Audrey Cline made two free throws to make it 55-29. RSU continued to create possessions with three steals and two offensive rebounds in the quarter, including
Karliey Parker's steal and free throw sequence and
Marcela Pinedo's offensive board with 2:15 left. Hendrix hit 3-pointers at 3:05 and 0:36, the last coming after Parker's assist, while Cline added a late assisted layup as the Hillcats finished the quarter even with the Golden Hurricane, but TU would claime the game by 16.
Hendrix led all scorers with13 points, going 5-for-6 from the field and 3-for-3 from 3-point range. Parker added seven points, three steals and three assists. Pinedo collected four rebounds, including two on the offensive glass.
For Tulsa, Alexa Kinas scored nine points, collected six rebounds, recorded two steals and added a block. McKenzie Jones also scored nine points and added two steals while making 3 of 4 shots. Dora Toman finished with nine points and five rebounds, including one 3-pointer. Alisha Peavy added seven points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Rogers State will return to action on Monday for the final exhibition game of the season against Oral Roberts. Action from the Mabee Center in Tulsa will take place at 11 a.m.
