TAHLEQUAH, Okla. - Rogers State women's basketball (7-8, 1-5 MIAA) could not withstand a fourth quarter charge from Northeastern State (7-8, 3-3 MIAA) as they came up short 68-57 Saturday afternoon at the NSU Event Center.
 
"We made great adjustments in the third quarter, and overall played really well," said head coach Heather Davis. "But in the fourth quarter, we left their best shooters wide open and gave them five easy 3-pointers. It is good to see we can play well in spurts, but we have to keep improving and have our work cut out for us."
 
Ella Hafer led all scorers with 23 points. She and Jaiana Wiggins crashed the boards as they each totaled seven rebounds, with Wiggins adding two blocks. Kate Melton dished out four assists. Alyza Aikins had six rebounds, three assists, and also notched three steals.
 
In the first quarter, it was a defensive battle as both teams were in single digits until the 3:41 mark. However, NSU made a couple more plays than the Hillcats and held a slight 15-11 advantage.
 
The RiverHawks made it tough for RSU to score in the second quarter, as the Hillcats only came up with nine points. NSU scored 14 points, but RSU held the RiverHawks to just two points in the final 4:24 minutes of the second quarter. RSU trailed 29-20 going into the locker room.
 
Rogers State came out on a mission on offense in the third quarter and scored a whopping 23 points. The Hillcats opened the period on a 16-5 run and took a 36-35 lead halfway through the third quarter with a layup made by Wiggins. RSU went up by as many as four points, and with four seconds to play, they held a 43-41 lead going into the fourth quarter thanks to a tip-back layup made by Aikins.
 
Unfortunately, the roles reversed in the fourth quarter as NSU began the period on an 8-0 run in the span of a minute and a half and never looked back. The Hillcats made some plays to keep within two possessions, but a late surge by RiverHawks gave them a 68-57 victory.
 
RSU will look to bounce back on Wednesday, Jan. 15 when they travel to No. 13 Pittsburg State. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.