ALVA, Okla. – Saturday's matinee saw two regularly explosive offenses in Harding (12-5, 9-4 GAC) and Northwestern (8-10, 4-9 GAC), and featured co-Great American Conference Players of the Week Cody Halvorson and Will Francis.

It was Hall of Fame Weekend at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, where four former Rangers were inducted into the Northwestern Sports Hall of Fame. The Class of 2017, comprised of Lee Brower, Gaylon Nickerson, Falynn Burns and Steve Nunez, joined other Ranger legends as they were introduced at halftime.

The Rangers got off to a slow start, missing their first six shots before Adrian Motley found the mesh 4:46 into the game. By that time, Harding had already built an eight point lead.

Northwestern finally righted the ship after their cold start with a 7-0 run to bring them within striking distance. Back-to-back points in the paint by Austin Klug tied the game 11-11 midway through the half.

In an uncharacteristically ice cold shooting performance, both teams combined for just 45 points in the half. Northwestern managed to take a three point lead into the break despite shooting just 25% (8 for 32) from the field. Harding connected on just 20% (4 for 20) in the opening frame.

Northwestern, who have been a 34% team from beyond the arc this season, hit just 2 for 18 from that distance in today's low scoring affair.

Things started to look up when both Halvorson and Deiondray Martin sunk three pointers in the opening moments of the second half. Martin, making just his second start of the season, matched his season high with 16 points and added five assists.

A 14-3 run for the Bisons enabled them to regain a lead that they would maintain for the remainder of the ballgame. Five straight missed shots for the Rangers allowed Harding to extend their lead to 11 with 5:23 remaining in the game.

Martin hit both free throws with 42.3 seconds left to close the gap to just a six point Bisons lead, but Harding managed to close out the contest for their fifth straight victory, handing the Rangers their second loss in as many games.

Up Next
Northwestern will get a four day break before returning to the floor in Monticello, Ark. as they face Great American Conference leader Arkansas-Monticello (15-2, 11-2 GAC) on Thursday, February 4 at 7:30 p.m. After starting the season undefeated, the Weevils had lost their previous two games to Arkansas Tech and East Central before beating Southeastern in double-overtime 77-75 Saturday afternoon.

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