CLAREMORE, Okla. – In their final home games of their career, seniors Kami Bunch and Emily Gamble led the Rogers State women's basketball team to a 63-58 overtime victory over the Newman Jets Saturday afternoon at the Claremore Expo Center.
 
After a slow start in the first two minutes of overtime, Gamble had four points and grabbed three boards in the overtime session to help the Hillcats claw out the victory. Gamble nailed a jumper with 1:06 remaining to give RSU a 57-56 advantage and added two clutch free throws with 39 seconds left to give the Hillcats a 59-57 edge. Madison Dearmin and Heather Roberts each netted a pair of free throws to close out the pesky Jets.
 
Newman got off to a hot start to begin the game, taking a 16-4 lead with 4:14 left in the opening stanza. Lizzy Harrison had nine points for the Jets during the run.
 
RSU responded with a run of their own, outscoring the Jets 10-2 to close the first period. Bunch assisted the first three baskets of the run before splashing in a triple of her own to end the quarter.
 
The Hillcats took their first lead of the night off a jumper from Danielle Carr with 2:12 remaining in the second quarter. Bunch added four free throws to close out the quarter to give RSU a 34-30 halftime advantage.
 
After maintaining a lead throughout the first nine plus minutes of the third quarter, Newman knotted the game at 41-41 with a three-pointer from Erica Olerich to close the period.
 
 
In a tightly contested final period that saw six ties and four lead changes, Rachel Block had five points and Emily Gamble added four points to keep the Hillcats alive. Shaunice Robinson had six points for Newman in the fourth quarter.
 
Robinson had 25 points and six boards to lead the Jets before fouling out in overtime. Heather Roberts led RSU in scoring with 14 points. Senior Kami Bunch put in 11 points for the Hillcats to go along with six assists and five rebounds. Fellow senior Emily Gamble added 10 points and seven boards in the win.
 
The Hillcats (14-11 Overall, 9-8 HC) travel to Fort Smith next Saturday for their final game of the season against the Lady Lions of UA Fort Smith. Tipoff is slated for a 1 p.m. tipoff at the Stubblefield Center. Live audio can be heard on the Hillcat Network and on the airwaves of RSU Radio 91.3 FM.