ALVA, Okla. – Looking to be the first to knock off an undefeated Arkansas-Monticello team, Northwestern Oklahoma State Men's Basketball thought they had an answer for the Weevils. Although it went down to the wire, the Rangers fell 87-81, dropping their second straight contest.

The Rangers attempt at an upset of the Great American Conference's top team would see a quick score from Greg Minor Jr. to give Northwestern the early advantage at 5-4. Cody Halvorson continued to show his long range touch with a quick three-pointer from the corner, making it 10-6 in favor of the home team.

The Rangers certainly received a spark with the return of senior forward Adrian Motley, who was inactive in Thursday's loss against Southern Arkansas. Motley would make his presence felt early, connecting on his first two field goals and sending a charge into Percefull Fieldhouse. Motley finished this one with another 20 point performance despite shooting just 27.3% from the field.

Coach Shawn Dirden expected a physical contest against the best in the conference, and that's exactly what they got with both teams reaching the double-bonus midway through the first half.

With a Weevils squad shooting 50.8% entering today's game, the Rangers knew that they would have to step up the defensive game to shut down UAM's explosive offense.
Seven straight points from that Weevil offense gave them a 41-34 advantage in the closing minutes of the first half. After another Halvorson three, Monticello Coach Kyle Tolin requested a review of the game clock, thinking there should have been more than 16.8 seconds. After the video review, officials settled on 18.0 seconds, allowing just enough time for Weevil Cobe Goosby to sink a buzzer beating three-pointer. 

With Northwestern trailing 44-39 heading into halftime, it was apparent that they had their work cut out for them. After a pair of Ranger steals resulting in buckets, the home team showed that they were up to the challenge of taking on this dominant Weevil team.

Halvorson found a way to energize Percefull by hitting a heavily contested three to regain the lead in one of the afternoon's 12 lead changes. The Ranger crowed roared once again a couple minutes later when 6'8" Weevil forward Troy Thomas fouled out with 13:35 remaining in the game.

But the Weevils wouldn't be stopped, going on a 9-3 run. That stretch gave them a 71-69 lead behind leading scorer Derylton Hill's 29 point effort, and 17 points from Goosby. After a few tough calls, Ranger Austin Klug would also foul out of the game midway through the second half, making it back to back games that the big man out of Riverside, Calif.  has reached the limit.

The Rangers did their best to take advantage of the often whistled matchup that would see 58 personal fouls called, going 22-28 from the free-throw line. With just 46.2 seconds remaining, Weevil point guard Karim Mawuenyega hit a fade away three pointer that put Monticello up by six. Greg Minor Jr. then ran up the floor, driving through traffic for a layup and drew a foul to pull the Rangers within striking distance. But Minor missed his free throw and the Weevils grabbed the rebound, controlling the ball and closing out the game.

Up Next
The Rangers will get a week off before hosting Newman University (1-6, 0-0 Heartland) at Percefull Fieldhouse next Saturday, December 10 at 8:00 p.m.

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