ALVA, Okla. – The Northwestern Oklahoma State Men's Basketball team completed the second half of a women's/men's doubleheader sweep on Monday evening, beating SWOSU 86-75.

The Rangers played in front of a sold out Percefull Fieldhouse, an atmosphere that could be felt all the way from Weatherford.

Senior Adrian Motley recorded a double-double with 27 points and 11 rebounds in his final home game against Southwestern. 

Southwestern opened the ballgame on an impressive 9-0 run thanks to some solid play from Bulldog Geoffery Hightower. The Rangers appeared tense in front of a packed house, surrendering an early 14-6 lead.

Brandon Green and Adrian Motley gave the Percefull faithful their first taste of what was in store for the evening, when Green threaded the needle between two defenders to find Motley driving through the lane, finishing with a two handed slam. After a few empty possessions for Southwestern, the Rangers found themselves making a run, eventually tying the game at 29-29 with less than six minutes to play in the opening half.

On the next possession, the Rangers took the lead after a Bulldog defender was tagged for goaltending, with Motley recording the bucket. On the ensuing possession, a quick steal turned into Motley launching a pass down the floor that found Ranger sniper Cody Halvorson who stopped and popped a deep three-pointer.

Northwestern took a 40-32 lead into the break despite the Bulldogs shooting 7-14 from beyond the arc in the half. The Rangers showed veteran discipline in the first half, recording just six personal fouls compared to the Bulldogs 13. That proved important down the stretch, where the Rangers found themselves free of foul trouble in the closing minutes.

Halvorson was once again on the receiving end of a beautiful seeing-eye pass, this time from Greg Minor Jr., that he deposited well beyond the three point line.

With this being rivalry week in the Great American Conference, the Bulldogs were not about to give in. Southwestern regained the lead with a 12-3 run, in part thanks to Colin Jennings and Devin Pugh, who finished with 16 points and 11 points respectively.

Things got physical when at the 15 minute mark, Ranger guard Zachary Dumas was the recipient of a hard intentional foul by Jennings, which the officials picked up on immediately. Although Dumas missed his two free-throws, Northwestern used the play as fuel and went on a run of their own to regain a lead that they would never surrender.

Although the Rangers led by as many as 18, Southwestern was determined to spoil the party. A string of three-pointers and made free throws allowed the Bulldogs to claw their way back into the game. With just 54.7 seconds remaining, a three pointer from Markeise Champion cut the Northwestern lead to five.

The Rangers would eventually bury the Bulldogs, taking this one 86-75.

Up Next
Northwestern Oklahoma State will return to the floor on Thursday, January 19 as they host Oklahoma Baptist (4-9, 1-8 GAC) inside historic Percefull Fieldhouse. Tip-off set for 7:30 p.m.

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