CLAREMORE, Okla. - The Lincoln women's basketball team pulled within two in the final two minutes of the game, but Rogers State used a late run of free throws to escape with a 61-54 victory on Thursday night (Jan. 18).

The Blue Tigers trailed 35-25 at halftime and were down by six at the end of the third quarter. Facing a nine-point deficit with 4:18 remaining, Lincoln (6-10, 2-8 MIAA) got back in business with layup by Imani Jones followed by a fast break three-pointer from Steph Torres. Ashlyn Alloway stole the ball on the Hillcats' next possession and took it down the court for a bucket, cutting the RSU lead down to 56-54. 

Lincoln forced Rogers State (8-8, 3-7 MIAA) to turn the ball over on each of its next two possessions, but back-to-back missed layups helped RSU hold on to the two-point lead. Eventually, the Blue Tigers were forced to foul, and the Hillcats made five of their six free throw attempts down the stretch to seal the win. The Blue Tigers forced 20 turnovers, but shot .328 from the floor while Rogers State shot .404.

Tatiana Beaumont was Lincoln's leading scorer with 11 points, two rebounds and an assist. Torres finished with 10 points and a steal, and Jones provided six points and seven boards while Hanne Nybo contributed two points and a pair of rebounds. Alloway ended the evening with five points, five boards and a team-high three steals.

Alyssa McCarty notched a steal to go with three points and three rebounds while Biance Stocks chipped in nine points. AJ Bradley dished a team-high four assists and scored two points. Saniya Simmons, meanwhile, had three assists to go with six points and a steal. Heaven Shockley also recorded a takeaway while Kiara Cabrera had a rebound.

Lincoln travels to Tahlequah, Okla. on Saturday (Jan. 20) to play Northeastern State at 1:30 p.m. CST.