TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State women's basketball team fell 58-54 to Rogers State Tuesday night inside the NSU Event Center.
 
The RiverHawks (3-2) lost their second-straight game at home, while the Hillcats improved to 4-1 on the season.
 
Senior guard Kate Bellamy and senior forward Danielle Robertson led NSU with 14 points each. Bellamy also added seven rebounds and a pair of steals in 27 minutes.
 
Northeastern State shot just 33.3 percent (18-for-54) from the field, while converting 40 percent (12-for-30) from downtown and 85.7 percent (6-for-7) at the free-throw line. RSU shot 37.3 percent (19-for-51) for the game, 40 percent (8-for-20) from deep and 80 percent (12-for-15) at the line.
 
Emily Gamble was the only Hillcat in double figures, as she finished with 10 points. Eight different members of the visiting team scored at least five points.
 
Rogers State jumped out to an early 12-6 lead after the first quarter of play, and the Hillcats were able to stretch the advantage out to 25-16 by halftime. RSU's lead ballooned to as much as 18 points, capped by Lauren Schuldt jumper at the 3:40 mark of the third quarter that gave the visitors a 40-22 cushion.
 
Bellamy then swished a 3-point shot at the 3:28 mark to spark a 20-0 run by NSU. Robertson converted a triple with 6:50 to play that put the RiverHawks on top 42-40, which was the first lead of the game for the home side.
 
NSU extended its lead to four points with 1:30 to play, but Rogers State scored the final eight points of the game to steal back the victory.
 
The Hillcats outrebounded NSU 40-32 and also led in points in the paint (20-12). NSU posted fewer turnovers (16-19) and a 21-12 advantage in points off turnovers.
 
The RiverHawks will hit the road for their next action, which will also mark the final non-conference tilt of the season. NSU will travel to Durant, Oklahoma, to take on Southwestern Oklahoma State at 2 p.m. Nov. 28.
 
NORTHEASTERN STATE COACH RANDY GIPSON
Opening statement...
"We played listless for a long time and were able to fight our way out of it. We made what would have been a great comeback. Obviously we took the lead and had ourselves in position to win the game, but we let it get away. This was a game with big swings from bad to good to bad again. It was disappointing. This was a tough loss. We finally started playing hard enough there for awhile. We've got to learn from our mistakes and come out and play for 40 minutes with the intensity we showed in those last 15 minutes.
 
On what to take away from the loss…
"There are different things about this game that we can grow from. Being in a tight game and keeping composure are things we need to take away. We need to realize the intensity level we need to play with, and hopefully we found something there late that we can carry with us moving forward."
 
On the improved play in the second half…
"People started competing. They started forgetting about being afraid to make mistakes. We just competed and played with no hesitation. The thing we're struggling with is hesitating too much on what we're doing. We overcame some of that tonight. We cut loose and played, and I think that's why we played better. We shot better. Everything gets better if you play without hesitation."
 
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