CLAREMORE, Okla. – Rogers State women's basketball (3-1) took a 73-71 win in a hard-fought, physical game against Haskell (2-5) on Saturday.
 
Two Hillcats finished in double digits in the win. With her 23 points, Alayzha Knapp joined the 1,000-point club with 1,010 career points as she added four rebounds, two steals and a block in the game. Trinity Jackson earned her first double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds along with an assist. Both Amaya Gallegos and Kylee Day contributed eight points apiece with Gallegos adding four rebounds and Day adding three rebounds and a block.
 
The game was a defensive slugfest from the start as neither team was able to score a bucket until the 7:33 mark of the first quarter. The first eight minutes went back-and-forth with three ties. Haskell led the entire period, taking their largest lead at 11-6 and carried a 12-11 advantage into second quarter.
 
The Hillcats finally began to find their footing in the final 10 minutes of the half as they took their first lead of the game at 19-18 with 5:49 left in the period. The quarter remained tight with five lead changes and four ties, but RSU managed to go into the break holding on to a slim 29-28 lead.
 
Rogers State finally began to assert their dominance in the third quarter as they opened the half on an 11-4 run to go up by their largest lead of the game at 40-32. The Indians refused to go down though and slowly began to whittle away at the deficit pulling within two points at 43-41 with 3:40 left in the period. However, RSU answered and took a 50-44 advantage into the fourth quarter.
 
The final 10 minutes of the game saw a back-and-forth dog fight down the stretch with eight lead changes and three ties. Two quick threes for the Indians to open the period knotted things at 50-50, but Kylee immediately drained a three of her own to answer and put the Hillcats back up 53-50. Neither team was able to get more than a single possession lead in the quarter. A Trinity Jackson layup with 1:25 to go put RSU on top to stay as the Hillcats salted the game away with four-straight made free throws to secure the 73-71 win.
 
RSU will be back in action on Saturday, Nov. 25 as they play host to Ozark Christian in one final tune-up game before MIAA play begins. Tipoff is set for 1:30 p.m.