BETHANY, Okla. - A banner season for the Rogers State women's basketball came to a close Friday afternoon with an 87-75 loss to fourth-ranked Oklahoma Baptist at the Sawyer Center in Bethany, Okla.
The Hillcats turned in their best first half performance of the season and led OBU, 44-41, at the break. However, the Lady Bison came out on fire in the second half with 46 points on 75 percent shooting from the floor and advanced to the finals of the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament. SAC Player of the Year Taujhnae Travis scored 17 of her 25 points in the second stanza to pace OBU.
RSU led for the first 10 minutes of the game before Vedrana Milakovic put the Bison in front for the first time, 21-20. Val Siemens buried a wing three as OBU opened up a 35-27 lead with 5:20 to play in the opening period. The Cats came storming back with a 3-pointer by Brittani Smith and three-point play by Yoda Woods. Hunter Peterson tied the score with a trey and Jenny Hardin regained the lead for RSU with a strong post move in the final minute. Candice Stewart capped the rally with a free throw to send the Hillcats to the locker room with a 44-41 advantage.
Hardin extended the lead to six with a 3-pointer from the top of the key to start the second half. OBU roared back with 12 straight points. Siemens picked up a steal and converted a layup to give the Bison a 53-47 lead with 14:07 remaining.
Logan Froese halted the run momentarily with a bucket in the paint, but OBU came right back with another 10-0 run. Samantha Smith's layup at the eight minute mark gave the Bison a commanding, 72-56 lead. RSU managed to keep the game competitive, but never threatened the outcome over the final six minutes.
Junior Candice Stewart led RSU with 18 points. Froese added 14 while Woods finished with 11. The Hillcats outrebounded the Bison, committed fewer turnovers and shot a respectable 46 percent from the floor. OBU simply made too many shots down the stretch. The SAC regular season champs shot a sizzling 66 percent for the game, including 6 for 9 from 3-point range.
Rogers State (21-11) achieved 20 wins and advanced to the SAC Tournament semifinals for the first time in the program's three-year history. Seniors Yoda Woods, Autumn Thompson and Jenny Hardin played their final game in a Hillcat uniform. All three were all-conference selections during their final year on the Hill. Hardin was named first team all-conference, Thompson earned academic all-conference recognition and Woods receive honorable mention all-conference accolades.
