Jeff Weseloh (SBU Sports Information) Bolivar, Mo. – The SBU women used a strong second half to defeat Rogers State Hillcats 78-51. With the win the women move to 6-1 (0-0 MIAA) on the season.
The Bearcats started off hot gaining a 5-0 lead over RSU with shots from Caylee Richardson and Kiana Peterson. After a couple points from the Hillcats pulled them within a single point, Aliyah Isaac passed out to Peterson who hit a 3 followed by free-throws from Alex Botkin and Natalie O’Keefe to give SBU a 12-6 lead with 5:02 on the clock. A foul sent Madison Strong to the free-throw line where she was 2-2 before RSU was able to score capping off the 6-0 SBU run with the score at 14-9. Mackenzie Skupa drove her way into the paint to score on a layup before quickly following it up with 2 free-throws putting the score at 18-9 with 3:14 left in the first quarter. Richardson took the ball to the basket scoring on a layup before quickly scoring again off a pass from Rosenbohm as the Bearcats took their first double-digit lead of the game 22-9. A pair of shots would fall for the Hillcats, but SBU would head into the second quarter leading 22-13.
RSU quickly scored to start the second quarter before SBU fought back with shots from Botkin and O’Keefe to maintain a slim lead 26-22 with 7:44 left in the half. The quarter was scoreless over the next couple minutes until 5:19 when Rosenbohm went to the line hitting both free-throws putting the score at 28-22. Defense was strong for both teams as the quarter was again held scoreless until quick shots from RSU pulled them within a single point (29-28 SBU) with 2:03 on the clock. Layups from Richardson and Rosenbohm helped the Bearcats pull away to 33-28 with 1:04 left in the half. Final shots from Rosenbohm and Henderson kept the Bearcat’s slim lead 36-30 heading into the half.
SBU came out of the locker room revitalized to start the second half. Botkin’s quick pass to Richardson paid off followed by a free-throw from Richardson to bring the score to 39-39 less than a minute into the 3rd quarter. The Hillcats scored but Isaac responded with a steal and a layup before Henderson hit a free-throw to move the Bearcats back into a double-digit lead 42-32 with 6:26 left in the quarter. Henderson was able to find her way into the paint to score on a layup followed by a free-throw to bring the score to 45-34. The Bearcats were held scoreless over the next couple minutes until 2:54 when O’Keefe rebounded the ball and put it back up for a layup putting the score at 47-37. Despite points from RSU landing, Rosenbohm went on a small 4-0 run to end the third quarter with SBU leading 51-41.
The Bearcats picked up some momentum for the 4th quarter. Botkin’s 3-pointer from Rosenbohm landed to start the final quarter with the score at 54-41. SBU then went on a 6-0 run with shots from Isaac and Botkin to extend their lead to 60-48 with 8:09 left in the game. After a couple shots from RSU, Rosenbohm pulled up for a jumper followed by a layup from Richardson to put the score at 64-45. Rosenbohm drove into the paint to score on a layup before Henderson’s pass to Skupa resulted in a made layup pushing the Bearcats even further ahead 68-45 with 4:57 left in the game. The Bearcats were scoreless until Bailey Rezabek’s free-throws and Gokce Cetin’s layup landed (72-46) with 2:31 left in the game. Laura Vierkant’s solo 6-0 run extended SBU’s lead to 30 points (78-48) with less than a minute on the clock. A final shot for RSU wasn’t near enough as SBU dominated to win the game 78-51.
The Bearcats had nearly every player scoring to lead a balanced offensive game. Leading the way for the Bearcats again was Megan Rosenbohm who had a team high 14 points coupled with 5 rebounds. Following close behind was Caylee Richardson with 13 points and Alex Botkin with 10 points. Mackenzie Skupa picked up a team high 7 rebounds while Madison Strong contributed 6 rebounds. As a team the Bearcats shot 53.1% from the field, 16.7% from behind the 3-point line, and 77.4% from the free-throw line.
The Bearcats will be back at home Thursday, December 8th to open up MIAA play against the University of Central Oklahoma. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. from the Meyer Sports Center in Bolivar, Missouri.
