CLAREMORE, Okla. — In a back-and-forth game, Rogers State netted the last big run and was able to hold off the Newman women's basketball team 74-72 Wednesday evening in Heartland Conference action in the Jets' final regular season contest.
KEY SEQUENCE
Despite being down just two, the Jets (17-11, 8-6 Heartland) never got a good look at a possible tying or game-winning shot late, as the Hillcats (10-15, 5-8 Heartland) were under the bonus and fouled twice in the final seconds to preserve a lead that evaporated late.
HOW IT HAPPENED
-Haley Albers netted the first points of the game, hitting a 3-pointer 30 seconds in. The Hillcats went on the first run of the game though, scoring 11 of the next 13 points to start what turned into a 16-5 run that quickly made it 16-8 at the midway mark of the first quarter.
-Newman returned the favor though, as Nia Roberts scored four straight to cut the lead in half. The senior also buried a 3-pointer early in the second quarter to cap a 7-0 run for the Jets that tied things up at 21-21. That trey helped kickstart an impressive second quarter for the guests, who went up by four a couple minutes later after a 6-0 run, leading 31-27 with 3:12 on the clock.
-A 5-0 run for the Jets ended the first half, with Dede Johnson hitting a triple and Abbey George following with a layup. That led into a back-and-forth third period, where the Hillcats tied things up with the first two baskets, but neither team hit two straight field goals the rest of the frame. Roberts converted a three-point play late to put the Jets up 48-47, and the quarter ended in a tie.
-The Hillcats used a 6-0 run to take the lead back early in the fourth, but Albers hit a 3-pointer, Johnson followed with a bucket, and Bria DeGrate buried two free throws to go up 58-57 with 5:45 left to play. RSU rallied to go on a 9-2 run though, shooting back in front 66-60.
-Newman hit a couple big baskets in the final minute to stay in it, and the Hillcats started missing free throws to allow the Jets to slowly chip away at the lead. Hannah Alexander nailed a bit triple with five seconds left to make it a one-point game, and Rogers State made only one of two on the other end with 3.9 left on the clock, but the Hillcats fouled to keep the Jets from getting a good shot off at the end.
NOTES
-Alexander led with 18 points on 8-of-16 shooting, while Albers finished with 13 points, Roberts 12 and DeGrate 10.
-There were 13 ties and 13 lead changes in a game that never saw a lead bigger than eight.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Jets will be the No. 4 seed in the Heartland Conference tournament, playing their first game at 2:30 p.m. on March 2. They await the results from the final league games played Thursday and Saturday to determine whether they will play Rogers State, St. Edward's or Oklahoma Christian.
