CLAREMORE, Okla. – Rogers State women's basketball (4-5, 0-2 MIAA) could not withstand a fourth quarter burst from No. 8 Pittsburg State (8-1, 2-0 MIAA) as they came up short 79-58 on Saturday.
 
Ella Hafer, Bailey Layman and Emma Kay Martin each lead RSU with nine points. Hafer grabbed six rebounds. Jaiana Wiggins snagged five rebounds, had one steal and shot 4-5 from the field for eight points. Destiny Jones also scored eight points, tallied two steals and was clutch from the free throw line, as she went 6-7. Alyza Aikins dished out three assists and came up with a steal.
 
The first quarter was raining buckets for both teams early on as RSU knocked down their first three shots and did not miss until the 7:16 mark of the first quarter. But Pitt State also hit some shots and led the game 23-16 heading into the second quarter.
 
The Gorillas built a double-digit lead in the second quarter, but RSU responded with two 3-pointers by Layman to keep pace. Unfortunately, the Hillcats trailed 43-30 going into the locker room.
 
In the third quarter, RSU came out of the break on fire and cut the lead to single digits. The Hillcats kept playing and Martin hit a jump shot with 45 seconds left in the period to make the score 57-52 in favor of the Gorillas. But Pitt State responded with a fastbreak layup to lead 59-52 down the home stretch.
 
Cheyan McDaniel hit a 3-pointer to start the fourth quarter, to make the score 59-55. However, the Gorillas took complete control the rest of the way and limited the Hillcats on offense. RSU went nearly five minutes without scoring and only scored six points in the quarter. The final result was a 79-58 victory for the Gorillas.
 
RSU will return to the hardwood on Saturday, Dec. 14 when they host Ozark Christian at the Claremore Expo Center. Tipoff is set for 1:30 p.m.