OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – The Rogers State women's basketball team could not make its early lead stand falling on the road at Oklahoma Christian, 76-63, Saturday afternoon at the Eagles' Nest.
 
The Hillcats held a double-digit lead in the first half only to see the Lady Eagles take control in the third quarter on hold on for the Heartland Conference victory.
 
Kami Bunch hit an early triple giving RSU a 5-2 lead and the margin stretched to eight points, 14-6, as Lauren Schuldt knocked down a jumper after an offensive rebound and Courtney Smith followed with a long-range shot.
 
Lindsey Byfield continued the sizzling outside shooting for the Hillcats draining back-to-back treys late in the first quarter as the visitors moved ahead 20-8 and closed the frame in front 20-13.
 
The Lady Eagles kept chipping away at the lead scoring the first 10 points of the second stanza, extending a 15-0 run spanning more than nine minutes. Consecutive baskets from Rachel Block and Madison Dearmin gave RSU the lead again, 24-23, before OC regained its advantage until the closing minute of the half when Bunch dropped in another triple pushing the Hillcats ahead 31-29 at intermission.
 
A Block jumper four minutes into the third quarter pressed the RSU edge to five, 37-32, but the Lady Eagles turned up the heat on their rivals using a 13-3 stretch to end the frame, including the final nine points. OC's Jasmine Hinton closed the quarter on a four-point play in the final seconds for a nine-point cushion, 51-42.
 
The Hillcats cut into the deficit right away in the final frame as Block converted an old-fashioned, three-point play before OC scored the next four points pushing the margin to double figures, 55-45. After RSU looked to get back into the game on a Natasha Kindred free throw and Byfield jumper, the Lady Eagles hit back-to-back triples and sealed their third win in four games,
 
Block led RSU with 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting and matched Kindred for the team lead pulling down six rebounds. Kindred scored eight of her 14 points in the fourth quarter and Bunch added 10 points. OC's McKenzie Stanford led all scorers with 21 points.
 
The Hillcats (10-6 overall, 5-4 HC) continue their road stretch in Texas starting Thursday night at St. Edward's at 5:30 p.m. The game opens the second-half of the Heartland Conference slate and can be heard live on the Hillcat Network at www.rsuhillcats.com/live and RSU Radio 91.3FM.