CLAREMORE, Okla. - Rogers State found a way to win on a night when points of any kind were hard to find as the Hillcats posted a 63-45 victory over Northwestern Oklahoma State Monday at the Claremore Expo.
The Hillcats awoke from an offensive slumber in the final minutes while the Lady Rangers remained in a comatose state for the entire night. RSU managed only five points over the first 10 minutes of the second half and held a slim two-point advantage with 9:30 remaining. The Cats finally sprung to life, pouring in 23 points in the span of the next eight minutes to win the game going away.
Senior Jenny Hardin was the catalyst during the late rally. She scored eight points in the span of 75 seconds to push the lead to 16 with two minutes to play. Hardin finished with a game-high 18 points to go along with six rebounds.
RSU built a 20-12 advantage over the first 12 minutes of the game. However, Northwestern answered with a 10-0 run to take the lead inside the four minute mark. Hunter Peterson scored back to back buckets to put the Cats back in front. The junior sharp shooter buried a trey right before the half to give RSU a 33-26 advantage at the break.
The Hillcats shot just 27 percent from the floor in the first half, but managed to force the Lady Rangers into 15 turnovers with full court pressure defense. The offense found a bit of rhythm in the second stanza, connecting on 10 of 24 shots, including 4 of 8 from 3-point range. Northwestern struggled throughout and was shut out from behind the 3-point arc. Keindra Scott was the only Lady Ranger to reach double figures with 15 points. She also added 12 rebounds and three blocked shots.
Peterson and Andrea Miles joined Hardin in double figures with 10 and 11 points, respectively. The Hillcats outrebounded the visitors, 45-41 and tallied 13 assists overall.
Rogers State (11-2, 3-2) improved to 9-0 at the Claremore Expo on the season and will host No. 7 Oklahoma City Thursday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the game will be carried live on RSU Public Television and RSU Radio 91.3 FM. RSU will also offer a free live audio and video stream at www.rsuhillcats.com.
