ALVA, Okla. – Northwestern Oklahoma State Men's Basketball (2-3, 0-2 GAC) is looking forward to getting back on the hardwood after a nine day layoff. This weekend will see two high powered offenses visit Percefull Fieldhouse, in Southern Arkansas (Thursday, Dec 1 – 7:30 pm) and Arkansas-Monticello (Saturday, Dec 3 – 3:30 pm).

The Rangers are coming off an 83-79 victory over the Emporia State Hornets last Tuesday that saw their efficient offense shoot 57.1% from the field. Senior Adrian Motley led the black and red in scoring with 24 points on 9-11 FG. In what was expected to be a quieter opening night than usual, Ranger Nation had an impressive showing despite the Thanksgiving break and that didn't go unnoticed.

"It was exciting given the holiday break to still see all the fans in town come out" said first year head coach Shawn Dirden.

A couple new faces in the starting lineup appeared to pay dividends on defense, as Northwestern held the Hornets to just 22 points on 25.8% shooting in the first half. "A little bit of that was the pressure and a little bit was scouting reports, but a couple changes in the lineup I thought allowed us to stretch our defense just a little bit longer". While impressed with his team's hustle out of the gate, Dirden knows that this game requires 40 minutes of max effort.

"We started out really strong, but then now it's about learning how to play once you build that lead and that momentum to not let your foot off the gas" says Dirden.

Thursday night, the Rangers will look to pick apart a Southern Arkansas (4-2, 2-0 GAC) defense that has held opponents to just 63.5 points per game through their first six games of the season. Northwestern will likely look to incorporate some new faces, as leading scorer Motley is doubtful with flu-like symptoms.

In his first year, the Ranger bench boss is confident in his guys' ability to step up when called upon. "We're trying to win, and with that everybody's working really hard in practice so they make that decision pretty easy, to be able to turn to them during live game time" said Dirden.

Fans can expect to see a matchup with similar styles of play, as Dirden points to Southern Ark's ability to play an inside-out game. Behind the dominance of guard CJ Elkins, the Muleriders have taken both of their Great American Conference games this year, beating East Central and Southeastern Oklahoma State. "Southern Ark. with Elkins, they know where their bread's buttered, and they've got a really good inside game."

Although trying to take the season one game at a time, Northwestern's coaching staff is hard at work in preparation for the quick turnaround, as they get Friday off before hosting the Arkansas-Monticello  Weevils (4-0, 2-0 GAC) Saturday afternoon. Monticello is fresh off a statement home win over #23 Delta State.

"Monticello for sure is a lot more of an explosive offense. I know they beat a top 25 team in Delta State this past week and they're doing that with a lot of great leadership in having returned quite a few of their players from the year before" said Dirden. The Weevils currently have four scorers averaging double digit points, led by a tandem of forward Derylton Hill (17.5 PPG) and point guard Karim Mawuenyega (17.5 PPG). The Weevils rely on a potent shooting attack, connecting on 52.3% of shots from the field.

Dirden expects to see a great crowd at Percefull Fieldhouse this weekend. Often noted as having the rowdiest fans in the GAC, the Percefull atmosphere has both players and coaches excited to play in front of a packed house.

"I definitely think playing at Percefull, for both the players and myself is going to be exciting and be an added boost going against two quality opponents… I'm just excited to see the fans pack the house, I know football and baseball and the women's teams have made this playing environment one to be feared, and so our guys have just been pushing and we're working hard to make sure that we give them something to be rowdy about and excited about."
 
Tip-off for this weekend's games are set for Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 3:00 p.m.  

Thursday vs SOUTHERN ARKANSAS: Click here for Live Stats and Click here for Live Video

Saturday vs ARKANSAS-MONTICELLO: Click here for Live Stats and Click here for Live Video

For the latest information and updates on Ranger Basketball, follow @NWOSUAthletics on Twitter or go to www.riderangersride.com.