WEATHERFORD, Okla. – Northwestern Oklahoma State's women's basketball team was defeated inside the Pioneer Cellular Event Center by a final score of 80-65, despite a tight contest for the majority of the game.

The Lady Bulldogs pulled away midway through the second half of action after leading just 32-30 at the half. Northwestern was led by standout Kalea King once again, who totaled 13 points and seven rebounds. Senior Jonae Isaac recorded her first double-double of the season with 11 points as well as 11 boards.

The Lady Rangers hit just 19-of-68 shots for a final percentage of 27.9%. Northwestern actually out-rebounded Southwestern by a final total of 50-49, but allowed the Lady Bulldogs to shoot nearly 46% (29-for-64) from the field throughout the game. Five different players reached double digits for the Lady Bulldogs, who scored 48 points in the second half to pull away.

Northwestern struggled early missing their first four shots before Bailey Forrell finally got the Lady Rangers on the board with a put-back at the 6:10 mark to combat the first four points the Lady Bulldogs had already put up. The Lady Rangers started the first five minutes of the game going 1-for-9 from the field allowing Southwestern to open up the contest on an 8-2 run. Southwestern extended their lead to 14-6 with just under three minutes remaining in the opening quarter. A drive into the paint by Pride drew the lead back to single digits at 17-11 with just under 30 seconds left after which conference-leading scorer Hailey Tucker missed both free throw attempts leaving enough time for one more Lady Ranger possession. King drew a foul and connected on both free shots to narrow the Lady Bulldog lead to just 17-13 after a tough shooting quarter for Northwestern. The Lady Rangers hit just 4-of-16 points in the quarter, but battled their way throughout the opening frame to keep the high-scoring Lady Bulldog offense in check.

A Billy lay-up at the 8:31 mark brought the Lady Bulldog lead to just two points, but a nice put-back from Tucker followed by a three from former Great American Conference player of the Week recipient Hayden Priddy extended the lead back out to 24-19 with 7:25 remaining in the opening half. A 9-5 run that was capped off by back-to-back threes from Jonae Isaac and Relina Johnson brought the Lady Rangers back to the closest they've been since early in the ballgame, down just 29-28 with 1:46 left in the half. A jumper in the lane from freshman Destinee Robinson gave the Lady Rangers their first lead of the contest at 30-29 with less than 30 seconds left in the half. The lead was short lived however, as the Lady Bulldogs quickly responded with a lay-up to bring the scoring total to 32-30, a total that would maintain the last thirty seconds of the half.

Statistically the game was nearly dead even after the conclusion of the first half of play. Both teams committed 10 turnovers, grabbed 27 rebounds, and scored 14 points in the paint. Southwestern out shot the Lady Rangers with a percentage of 39.4% (13-for-33) compared to the Lady Rangers 25.6% (10-for-39.) The Lady Bulldogs struggled mightily however from the charity stripe, making just 3-of-12 attempts from the line. Northwestern capitalized on 7-of-8 from the line and also made 3-of-9 from behind the three point line.

Coming out of the locker room the Lady Rangers got started quickly with two free throws from Isaac, followed up by a three-point from Barrios that increased the Northwestern lead to 35-32. A 12-3 run in favor of the Lady Bulldogs put them back ahead 44-38 with 5:14 left in the quarter. Intent on stopping the combination of Priddy and Tucker that has given teams fits night in and night out in the GAC, the Lady Rangers designated two defenders to stay on those two players all the way up the court, forcing Southwestern to set up an offensive attack that was essentially just 3-on-3 at the half court. The strategy allowed the Lady Bulldogs to continue to keep the Lady Rangers at just a comfortable enough distance, taking a 54-48 lead into the final quarter of action.

Southwestern once again got started quickly to start off the final quarter of play, netting the first six points to extend their lead to 62-48, their largest of the evening. The Lady Rangers answered with six points of their own to continue to stick around in the game. Emotions began to heighten in the always anticipated rivalry game as both teams started to enter foul trouble. Four different Southwestern players reached three fouls with just over five minutes remaining in the game, while Isaac had to spend some time off the court as she reached four fouls just a few minutes into the final quarter for the Lady Rangers. A 12-10 run in favor of Northwestern brought the score to 72-60 with 1:22 remaining in the contest. A dagger of a three from Southwestern guard Tyra Askin halted any chance of a late Lady Ranger comeback, putting Southwestern on top 77-61.

Up Next

Northwestern will return home to Alva on Thursday afternoon to take on the Tigers of East Central University in what will prove to be a near must-win situation depending on how the games shake out Tuesday evening across the GAC. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. as the Lady Rangers have just four games left to make a run at their first appearance in the GAC Post-season Tournament.