LUBBOCK, Texas - The 2008-09 season came to a close Wednesday afternoon for Rogers State as No. 13 Oklahoma City University used a late run to wear down the Hillcats for a 72-54 victory at the Rip Griffin Center in Lubbock, Texas.
 

The Stars outscored the Cats 23-9 over the final seven minutes of the game to advance to the semifinals of the Sooner Athletic Conference tournament. The strong finish by OCU overshadowed a resilient effort by the Hillcats with their backs against the wall.
 

RSU fell behind by 10 points at the midway point of the first half. However, the Cats came roaring back with an 11-0 run to close the period. Meagan Selvidge buried a deep 3 with two minutes left to cut the margin to five. Sophia Piggie and Autumn Thompson followed with back-to-back layups to make it a one point game and Katie Rice gave RSU the lead at the buzzer. The sophomore deflected an OCU pass to a teammate and then hustled to the other end of the floor where she was fouled going up for a layup as time expired. Rice calmly knocked down both free throws to send the Hillcats to the locker room with a 29-28 lead.
 

The teams exchanged the lead five times over the first eight minutes of the second half before the Stars began to pull away. RSU led 41-38 before OCU put together a 9-0 run capped by a Laura Duncan layup. Azzie Knox's stick back basket brought her team back to within four at 49-45 with 7:34 to play, but the Cats could get no closer.
 

The Stars spent most of the final seven minutes at the free throw line. They knocked down 11 shots from the charity stripe down the stretch and outscored RSU 20-5 at the line in the contest. The Hillcats did not have a 3-point basket in the second half and only attempted one free throw.
 

"They (RSU) fought hard and left it all out on the floor," Head Coach Amy Williams said following the game. "I was really pleased with their effort. I wish the outcome would have been different but I'm really proud of them and the way they played."
 

OCU bounced back from shooting just 29 percent in the first half to hit 57 percent of its shots in the second stanza. Breezy Martin led all scorers with 27 points on 10-of-12 shooting. RSU shot only 34 percent from the floor for the game and was led in scoring by Rice with 18 points.
 

The loss marked the end of the season for the Hillcats and the final game for seniors Azzie Knox, Tasha Parker and Hannah Owen.
 

"I told those seniors in the locker room after the game how much we appreciate them and what they've meant to this program." Williams said. "They took a chance on this program and invested a lot in helping us build a foundation over the past two years."
 

Rogers State (18-14) closed the books on its first winning season after earning its first postseason victory Tuesday against Northwestern Oklahoma State. Juniors Autumn Thompson and Sophia Piggie, sophomores Andrea Miles, Katie Rice and Hunter Peterson, and freshmen Effanesia Baker and Meagan Selvidge are slated to return for the Hillcats next season.