CLAREMORE, Okla. – After trailing by as many as 15 points in the third quarter, the Rogers State women's basketball team battled back to send the game into overtime before dropping a close matchup with the Texas A&M International 86-78 in two overtimes Saturday afternoon at the Claremore Expo Center.
 
The Dustdevils extended their lead to 15 points on a steal and breakaway layup by Jessica Prieto with just under five minutes remaining in the third quarter to give TAMIU a 45-30 lead. Prieto had 12 points in the period.
 
The Hillcats responded with a 7-0 run to cut the advantage to 45-37. Lindsey Byfield and Lauren Schuldt both had baskets in the run, both assisted by Kami Bunch. The Dustdevils led 50-41 at the end of the third stanza.
 
In the fourth period, Heather Roberts led the Hillcat comeback by scoring eight straight points for RSU. Roberts' three-pointer with 1:38 remaining trimmed the deficit to 59-55.
 
Rachel Block and Courtney Smith each nailed a pair of three-pointers in the final 14 seconds of regulation to tie the game at 63-63, and send the game into overtime. The Hillcats were down by as many as 10 points with less than five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
 
Roberts banked in a three pointer to start the first overtime to give RSU a 66-63 lead, their first lead since early in the second quarter. Roberts had a career-high 19 points on the night before fouling out near the end of the first overtime.
 
In the second overtime, Rosebrooke Hunt and Lizzie Prieto converted on a pair of buckets to give TAMIU a 77-73 advantage. The Dustdevils converted on their free in the final overtime to hold off the Hillcats 86-78.
 
A tightly contested opening quarter was capped by a three-point play by Madison Dearmin with three seconds remaining in the first to tie the game at 10-10. Dearmin had five points for the Hillcats in the period, while Lizzie Prieto had five points for the Dustdevils.
 
RSU was able to ride the momentum into the start of the second quarter with an 8-0 run that gave the Hillcats an 18-12 advantage. Carlye Bohannan and Danielle Carr had a pair of triples during the run.
 
TAMIU was able to respond with a big run of their own, scoring the next 14 points of the game to give the Dustdevils a 26-18 lead. Jessica Prieto and Keiona Mathews each had five points during the run. A pair of free throws and a layup from Natasha Kindred helped the Hillcats trim the margin to 28-22 heading into the intermission.
 
In addition to Roberts' career night, Schuldt had her first career double-double with 11 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, along with three blocks. Carr had 10 points and Bunch added eight points and eight assists in the loss.
 
Jessica Prieto had 26 points and five steals to lead TAMIU. Keiona Mathews had 19 points to go with eight rebounds, four assists, and four steals in the contest. Rosebrooke Hunt added a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
 
The Hillcats (11-9 Overall, 6-7 HC) return to action Monday for a non-conference matchup with the Rangers of Northwestern Oklahoma State. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. at the Claremore Expo Center. Watch the game live on the Hillcat Network along with live stats at www.rsuhillcats.com/live.