ALVA, Okla.- Northwestern Oklahoma State's women's basketball coach Tasha Diesselhorst is no stranger to program improvements under her guidance.

Her Lady Panther squad at Pond Creek-Hunter High School won just four games in her first year at the helm. A few years later, the Lady Panthers would qualify for the Oklahoma State Tournament four years in a row and would post a total record of 170-29 during her nine years at the helm.

Fast forward just a few months after making the jump to the collegiate level and coach Diesselhorst's Lady Rangers team has already shown the monumental improvements that many came to expect after hearing of her hire prior to the season. The marked improvement was on full display against arch-rival Southwestern Oklahoma State on Monday night, where the Lady Rangers picked up what has been described as a "program-defining win" over the Bulldogs by a score of 87-80.

Southwestern entered the contest in a tie for second place while boasting the highest scoring offense in the conference as well as the third-best field goal percentage defense in the league. However none of that mattered to Northwestern as the Lady Rangers came out of the pre-game huddle with enough energy to light up all of Percefull Fieldhouse. They may not have lit up the gym electrically speaking, but as far as basketball goes they definitely lit the Ranger faithful up in an emotionally-fueled performance.

"The atmosphere was unreal and to play in a game full of emotion was awesome," Coach Diesselhorst said. "To be able to come up against Southwestern and execute a game plan and see them get that win in that type of atmosphere was very rewarding."

The victory will not only serve as a launching pad for the Lady Rangers to take off for the rest of the season, but also served as a statement across the region that Northwestern women's basketball is on the map and ready for battle.

"People are paying attention to Northwestern now and high school coaches and high school kids that we're talking to see Northwestern on their radar," Coach Diesselhorst said. "A win against a top program like Southwestern that we compete against in recruiting is special."

With a new-found confidence that comes from taking down a top-level team in the conference, the Lady Rangers will embark on a quest to continue the energy they played with against the Lady Bulldogs this weekend against in-state rivals Oklahoma Baptist and East Central. Northwestern currently sits one game back of eighth place in a tie with Saturday's opponent East Central, which would qualify the Lady Rangers for their first appearance in the Great American Conference post-season tournament.

Before that showdown in Ada against the Lady Tigers, the Rangers will look to overcome the post-rivalry win hangover with a victory over the Bison of Oklahoma Baptist. The Bison (4-11, 1-8 GAC) currently sit at the bottom of the GAC standings, but pose as big threat to the Rangers momentum as they are a long team that rebounds the ball well. The Bison rank as the top offensive rebounding team in the conference with 13.8 boards a game, and list three players at 5'11 or taller on their roster. Junior Tasha Edge leads Oklahoma Baptist in scoring with 13.4 points a game and is third in the conference with 8.6 rebounds a game. Five different players average at least 10 points for the Bison, driving a well-balanced attack.

Northwestern will then hit the road down I-35 to Ada, Okla. where they will take on an East Central team that is fresh off of a narrow defeat at the hands of their rivals Southeastern Oklahoma State by a final of 57-51. The Lady Tigers (3-10, 2-7 GAC) have wins over Ouachita Baptist and Oklahoma Baptist earlier in the season, and will be looking to take out a Lady Ranger squad that is tied with them in the GAC standings. East Central ranks at the bottom of the conference averaging 55.1 points a contest, but will put the third best defense in the conference on the court against the Lady Rangers that gives up just 64.1 points a game. Junior Devon Branch leads East Central in scoring with an average of 13.2 points a game. Branch comes into Saturday's contest on a bit of a high streak, scoring totals of 25, 21, and 17 points in the Tigers last three games.

With a big-time conference win on their resume and the positive energy that the fans of Percefull Fieldhouse provided the Lady Rangers, they will look to jump into that eighth spot in the conference standings with two wins this weekend. Thursday's contest is set for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off inside Percefull Fieldhouse, and then at 1 p.m. on Saturday afternoon in Ada.