CLAREMORE, Okla. - The No. 8 Rogers State women's basketball team opened the season with a narrow victory on Tuesday night as the Hillcats defeated No. 14 Langston (Okla.) 40-39 at the Claremore Expo.

Coach Roxanne Long's first win at the helm of the women's basketball program proved to be a nail biter. The Hillcats relinquished the lead just once in the second stanza as Santana Francisco converted a pair of free throws to give Langston a 33-32 lead with 8:26 to play. The Lady Lions lead was short-lived as RSU senior Logan Froese converted a conventional three-point play to give the Cats a two point advantage. Froese sparked an 8-0 run that was capped off with a trey by senior Kelby Fritz. LU battled all the way to the end as the Lady Lions finished the contest with a 6-0 run. However, the Hillcats held on for the win.

The game was a back and forth battle from start to finish.  Neither team led by double figures in the contest. RSU took the largest lead of the game in the opening half as junior Adrianna Leatherbury hit a jumper that ignited a 7-0 run to give the Cats an eight-point lead with 6:10 to play. RSU took a 25-18 lead into the locker room at the break.  

Froese led the Cats in scoring with 15 points while grabbing seven rebounds. Sierra Cornwell nabbed six steals, two shy of the single-game record. The Hillcats struggled from the field, converting just 27 percent. However, the Cats shot 90 percent from the charity stripe, going 4-for-4 from the line in the second half.

Tayla Vaughn and Victoria Felix led the Lady Lions in scoring. Vaughn registered 11 points and 10 rebounds while Felix tallied 10 points. Like the Hillcats, LU struggled from the field shooting 27 percent. The Lioness edged RSU on the boards, 41-38.

Rogers State (1-0) celebrates homecoming on Saturday as the Hillcats host Northwestern Okla. State at 2 p.m. The game will be streamed live on the Hillcat Network at www.rsuhillcats.com/live and on RSU Radio 91.3 FM.