ALVA, Okla. – Northwestern Oklahoma State took care of business in a 66-56 win over the Southeastern Oklahoma State Savage Storm.

Coming off their 10 point victory over Southern Arkansas, the Rangers came out hot against the Savage Storm jumping out to an early 11-2 lead. Southeastern Oklahoma State came into tonight's game in the midst of a four game losing streak, most recently falling at the hands of Ouachita Baptist.

The Rangers prepared all week for a low-scoring showdown against the Great American Conference's best defensive squad, and that's exactly what they got.  Three-point specialist Cody Halvorson struggled to get things going in the first half, shooting just 1 for 7 from beyond the arc. Halvorson would finish the evening with 11 points on 3 for 10 three-point shooting.

Turnovers have plagued the Savage Storm all season long as they rank dead last in turnover margin, and that continued in this one as the visitors committed eight in the opening period leading to14 Ranger points.

Senior Adrian Motley led the charge for the Rangers in the opening half with help from Brandon Green's six assists, giving Northwestern a five point lead heading into the break, up 28-23.

Halvorson appeared to regain his touch in the opening minutes of the second half, sinking back to back threes to stretch the Rangers lead to 11.

A pair of unforced turnovers by Halvorson and Trey Johnson led to a string of Storm buckets, allowing them to inch their way back into the ballgame. At the midway point in the second half, the Rangers were holding on to a 38-31 advantage.

Southeastern relied heavily on 6'2 senior guard Anton Cook as they have all year. Cook, averaging 17.5 PPG and 33 minutes per game, put together a solid performance with 17 points. Tyler Lonzie, usually a defensive presence under the basket, was no match for Motley and Austin Klug. Lonzie did however manage to put up 10 points of his own.

The Storm gained a little life when Kevin Buckingham hit an improbable three-pointer from the corner while drawing the foul from Brandon Green. Buckingham connected on his free-throw to complete the four point play, cutting Northwestern's lead to eight with 4:00 to play.

The Rangers found a way to overpower the Savage Storm defense, with four different players in Green, Motley, Halvorson and Zachary Dumas recording double-digits points.

Up Next

Northwestern will take their talents on the road on Saturday, February 11 when they visit Southern Nazarene. Saturday's game will tip-off at 3 p.m., as the Rangers look for their third straight win.

For the latest news and updates on Ranger Basketball, follow @NWOSUathletics on Twitter or visit www.riderangersride.com