CLAREMORE, Okla. - Oklahoma Wesleyan made up a four point deficit in the final two minutes and held on for a 65-62 win to spoil Homecoming for Rogers State Saturday at the Claremore Expo.
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Erin Elam poured in 28 points on 10-of-12 shooting to lift the Eagles past the Hillcats. RSU led 62-58 with 2:20 to play after Sophia Piggie converted two free throws. Samantha Brant answered for OWU with four of her eight points on a pair of hard earned buckets on the inside to tie the game.
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From there it was a free throw shooting contest. Elam hit one of two to regain the lead for OWU with 38 seconds left. Hunter Peterson missed the front end of a one-and-one on the other end, forcing the Hillcats to foul. Michelle Matthews then sank both free throws to give the Lady Eagles a three point advantage with 23 seconds left. Piggie got an open look from 3-point range as time expired but missed off the front iron, sealing the win for the visitors.
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Obviously fatigued and perhaps emotionally drained from playing their third game in six days, the Hillcats came out flat in the first half. RSU fell behind 21-6 in the first ten minutes of the game and had to claw its way back. The Cats managed to cut the lead to 29-26 at the half with a 9-0 run.
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RSU took the lead moments into the second half on back-to-back baskets by Andrea Miles and Hannah Owen. The teams exchanged the lead six times before Piggie drilled a trey with 9:40 left to make it 44-43 RSU. From there, the Hillcats maintained at least a share of the lead until the final minute.
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Elam accounted for nearly 50 percent of the OWU offense as no other Lady Eagle finished in double figures. Peterson led the Cats with 19 points while Tasha Parker set a personal record with 14 rebounds. Both teams shot just 34 percent from the field while the Lady Eagles held a 52-49 rebounding advantage.
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Rogers State (1-1) suffered its first loss of the season. The Hillcats will host Bacone College Monday evening at the Claremore Expo in a rematch of last week's opener. RSU defeated the Lady Warriors 67-66 Tuesday in Muskogee, Okla. Monday's tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the game will carried live on RSU Radio 91.3 FM.
