NWOSU Athletics
Eric Scott, Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Communications
MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The Northwestern Oklahoma State University Lady Ranger basketball team completed a feat that hasn’t been done in the program in 14 seasons when they defeated Southern Arkansas, 52-48, on the road Saturday afternoon.
The win was the third straight on the road by the Lady Rangers. It hasn’t been since the 2004-05 season did a Northwestern women’s team win three consecutive games on the road. They look to make it four wins in as many games this Thursday when they take on Southern Nazarene in Bethany.
Saturday’s win improved the Lady Ranger record to 8-13 this season and 5-9 against Great American Conference opponents. With the final month of the season beginning, Northwestern is currently in a three-way tie with Oklahoma Baptist and Arkansas Tech for seventh in the conference.
After starting the game off with a basket, the Lady Rangers found themselves in an early 12-2 hole when the Lady Muleriders hit four unanswered three-pointers. Later in the first quarter, the home team opened up a 17-6 advantage with 1:24 to go, when Jakeria Otey answered a Lady Mulerider three with one of her own.
The defense came alive in the second stanza as the Lady Rangers outscored Southern Arkansas, 19-3. It didn’t take long for the Lady Rangers to regain the lead after trailing by seven entering the quarter when Kalea King got to the rim to go up 19-18.
Otey, who led the Lady Rangers in the game with 14 points, and Bailey Brown each had six points in the second. Brown and King were the other two Lady Rangers with double-figure scoring totals with 13 points apiece.
Southern Arkansas used a 9-2 run to begin the third quarter to claw back into a one-possession game with six minutes to go in the quarter. Following a pair of Bailey Brown free-throws, Kylie Warren hit a three to make it a one-point difference.
With a little more than a minute to go in the third, the Lady Muleriders overtook the Lady Rangers, but an old fashioned three-point play by Brown put Northwestern back on the high side at 41-40 heading to the fourth.
That’s when the Lady Ranger defense buckled down again in crunch time. They forced four Lady Mulerider turnovers in the final ten minutes to secure the victory and the season sweep.