CLAREMORE, Okla. - No. 15 Rogers State (23-9) enters the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball National Championship as the No. 4 seed and the No. 5 at-large team. The Hillcats will face No. 20-ranked Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) (30-3) in the opening round. Thursday's contest at 9 a.m. EDT/ 8 a.m. CST marks the first meeting between the two programs.
The Saints were an automatic qualifier as they registered a runner-up finish at the Red River Athletic Conference Tournament. OLLU is making its second appearance at the Dance as the squad made its debut in 2012, falling in the opening round to the eventual national champions, Oklahoma City University. The Hillcats (23-9) put together its best Sooner Athletic Conference record in program history during the 2012-13 season, finishing with a 12-4 conference record and a third place finish in the standings. This marks RSU's third consecutive trip to the National Tournament.
Rogers State University Hillcats versus Our Lady of the Lake University Saints
March 14, 2013 | 9 a.m. EST/ 8 a.m. CST | Frankfort Convention Center | Frankfort, Ky.
Radio: KRSC 91.3FM RSU Radio | Online Audio Streaming: Hillcat Network www.rsuhillcats.com/live
Online Video Streaming: NAIA Pay-Per-View | Live Stats: DakStats
RSU Game Notes: Click Here | Tournament Bracket: Click Here
2012-13 RECAP: Coming off a trip to the NAIA Final Eight last season the Rogers State Hillcats opened the 2012-13 campaign projected No. 2 in the Sooner Athletic Conference Coaches' Preseason Poll and No. 8 in the NAIA Coaches' Preseason Top 25. The Hillcats opened the season with a program-best 5-0 start. The Hillcats finished the non-conference slate with a 10-4 record. RSU opened conference play in dramatic fashion as senior Ariani Silva drained a three-pointer to give RSU a 66-64 win over USAO. The Hillcats went on to win the next three conference games before falling to then-No. 4 Oklahoma City on the road. The Hillcats bounced back with back-to-back wins before then-No.1 Lubbock Christian earned a win over the Cats. RSU went on to win the next five games, including an upset win over the No. 4 Chaps on Valentine's Day. Wayland Baptist snuck past RSU two days later as the Hillcats were playing without senior standouts Logan Froese and Sierra Cornwell due to medical conditions. The Hillcats rounded out the season against No. 2 OCU, unable to hold onto its halftime lead over the Stars, the Hillcats tallied a 78-66 loss. RSU defeated WBU in the first round of the conference tournament but fell to the Lady Chaps in a back and forth battle in the semifinals. Cornwell was named Sooner Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year and first-team all-conference for the second straight season. The Twin Hills, Okla. native ranks second in NAIA Division I in steal as she has tallied 125 swiped on the season. She owns every RSU steals record in the books. Senior Leah Smith leads the Hillcats in scoring as she averages 11.6 points per game. Froese is right behind her with 11.3 points per game and was named to the Sooner Athletic Conference All-Tournament Team and second team all-conference. The Claremore, Okla. native became the Hillcats all-time leading scorer with 1,175 points in her four-year career. Earlier this season she became the second member on the RSU women's basketball 1,000 Point Club and will leave The Hill as one of the best players in program history.
THIRD TIME IS A CHARM: In the program's six-year history the Rogers State women's basketball team has made three trips to the NAIA championship. The tournament berths have come in consecutive seasons. RSU is 2-2 all-time at the tournament. In its first season at the championship in 2011, RSU entered the tournament with the No. 7 at-large bid and were seeded seventh. They squared off against eighth-ranked and second seeded Westminster (Utah). The Griffins tallied a narrow 60-56 win over the Hillcats. In its second trip to the championship, RSU embarked on its deepest run in the tournament, reaching the round of eight. RSU required overtime in the opening round as the Cats topped No. 6 ranked Cumberlands80-73. RSU defeated No. 20 Shorter in the second round before falling to No. 20 Georgetown 70-63 in the quarterfinals.
SIX HILLCATS EARN SAC HONORS: Senior Sierra Cornwell repeated a Sooner Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year and was named first team all-conference while five other Hillcat women also received honors. The Preston, Okla. native shares the defensive player of the year title with Lubbock Christian's Nicole Hampton. The defensive specialist ranks second in the NAIA in steals and leads the SAC in steals on the season with 119 swipes, 50 more than anyone else in the conference. Logan Froese, a senior from Claremore, Okla. was named second team all-conference. In the regular season finale, Froese became the RSU all-time scoring leader with 1, 137 career points. She averages 10.7 points and a team best 5.6 rebounds per game. Senior Leah Smith was named third team all-conference as she led the Cats in scoring for the second consecutive season with 11.7 points per game. Kelby Fritz and Ariani Silva were named to the honorable mention squad. Silva averages 9.2 points per game and played in all 30 of the Hillcats games this season. Fritz dished out a team-best 76 assists on the season, starting in 27 of her 29 games played. Junior Taylor Jeffs played in all 30 games this season and was named to the SAC All-Academic team.
FINISHING STRONG: The Hillcats have come a long way since their humble beginning during the 2007-08 season where the Cats finished eighth in the Sooner Athletic Conference's 12-team league. RSU has grown into not only one of the best teams in the league but they have also become a mainstay in the NAIA DI Top 25 Poll. RSU finished third in the league standings in 2012-13, its best finish in the Cats' six seasons in the conference. The team has posted four fourth place finishes, one sixth place finish and tallied eighth place once.
LONGEST STREAK IN TOP 25: The Hillcats have spent 13 straight weeks in the 2012-13 DI Women's Basketball Top 25 Polls dating back to the 2011-12 post season poll where they were ranked No. 21 in the postseason poll. The team debuted at No. 8 in the 2012-13 preseason poll and have held steady in the top-15 for the duration on the season.
LOOKING AHEAD: The NAIA Division I Women's Basketball National Championship runs March 13-19 at the Frankfort Convention Center in Frankfort, Ky. If the Hillcats advance in the tournament, games will be streamed with live audio on the Hillcat Network at www.rsuhillcats.com/live.
