NWOSU Sports
Jay Lee, Assistant Director of Athletics for Athletic Communications
ALVA – Three players recorded double-doubles in a 91-82 victory over Oklahoma Baptist on Saturday inside Percefull Fieldhouse for the Northwestern Oklahoma State women’s basketball team.
Freshman Selena McDonald, Bailey Brown, and junior Jade Jones all recorded double-doubles as the Lady Rangers (8-6, 4-4 GAC) posted a conference-high 91 points and a season-high 54 rebounds. The Lady Rangers also recorded a season-high 28 offensive rebounds, which they turned into 21 second chance points.
McDonald led the way with 17 points and 11 rebounds, her third consecutive game with at least 10 boards. Brown and Jones both posted 15 points a piece, while Brown had a team-high 12 rebounds and Jones had 10 assists to complete their double-doubles.
Junior Bailey Forell was the fourth Lady Ranger to reach double-digit points, as she made 6-of-10 shots from the field to post a career-high of 16. Freshman McKenzie Dean recorded nine points, five rebounds, and two assists to provide Northwestern with some valuable minutes off the bench.
The Lady Rangers trailed 63-56 heading into the final quarter action and saw the deficit extend to as many as eight before a Forell three pointer at the 5:06 mark of the final quarter put the Lady Rangers ahead 71-69. Another three-point make from Dean followed by a free throw from Brown extended the lead to six points with just under four points remaining.
Northwestern continued to put on an offensive showcase in the final quarter, as they made 9-of-13 shots and 14-of-19 free throws to total a season-high 35 points in the final quarter of action. The Lady Bison (8-6, 4-4 GAC) could only narrow the lead down to seven in the final two minutes of the ball game, as the Black-and-Red’s best offensive quarter of the season allowed them to close out a key bounce-back win.
Despite shooting 47.1 percent (32-of-68) from the field, Oklahoma Baptist continually struggled with a tenacious performance under the glass from Northwestern. The Lady Rangers out-rebounded the opposing squad by a final total of 54-to-32.
Northwestern’s victory moves them back to .500 in conference play and gives them confidence heading into a rivalry match-up on the road against Southwestern Oklahoma State on Jan. 15 at 5:30 p.m.