CLAREMORE, Okla. –  The Rogers State women's basketball team fell in conference play to No. 11 Emporia State Monday evening at the Claremore Expo Center, falling 85-62 after challenging the ranked program for nearly three quarters.
 
Junior Samariah Thompson led the Hillcats (1-7, 1-7 MIAA) in her return after missing two games, finishing with 18 points, one of two Hillcats in double figures.
 
How It Happened: The Hillcats struck first with a made layup from freshman Kloe Bowin at the 9:30 mark in the first quarter. The Hillcats and Hornets would trade leads a total of six times, and the Hillcats went into the second quarter with a 19-18 lead.
 
The Hillcats and Hornets continued to trade leads in the second quarter. After Rogers State fell down by as much as seven points, they climbed back to within two before the Hornets took a 39-36 advantage into the locker room at halftime. Junior Katrina Christian led the Hillcats with 15 points in the first half.
 
Rogers State went back in front early in the third quarter as the teams battled back-and-forth before the visitors went on a 10-0 run to go up eight. The Hornets extended the lead to as much as 10 in the third quarter. The Hillcats trailed the Hornets 61-53 at the end of the third.
 
The Hornets pulled away from the Hillcats early in the fourth as back-to-back turnovers by the Hillcats helped fuel a 16-2 run for Emporia State. They would lead the Hillcats for the entire quarter and go up by as much as 25 points.
 
Key Statistics: The Hillcats were out-battled on the offensive glass 11-8. However, Emporia State converted 11 offensive rebounds into 19 second-chance points, while the Hillcats had just four second-chance points in the game.
 
Emporia State was 18-for-23 from the free-throw line, while Rogers State was just 10-for-12.
 
Players of Note: Thompson finished with 18 points, including 7-for-8 from the free-throw line. She also recorded seven assists, five rebounds, and three steals
 
Christian finished the game with 15 points, all in the first half, shooting 6-for-12 from the field and 3-for-7 from the three-point line. She also recorded four rebounds and a steal.
 
Junior Vanessa Gajdosova finished the game seven points and four rebounds and two steals.
 
Bowin finished the game with six points, shooting 3-for-7 from the field. She also recorded three rebounds and two blocks.
 
Sophomore Alyche Brown finished the game with six points in her return to action, after missing most of the fall semester.
 
Up Next: The Hillcats will remain at home as they welcome in Newman on Thursday for an MIAA showdown at the Claremore Expo Center. The teams will meet for the first of two scheduled meetings this season with tip-off set for 5:30 p.m.