ALVA, Okla. – The Northwestern Oklahoma State women's basketball team couldn't overcome an early 20-4 deficit and eventually dropped a 76-54 contest on the road at Southern Nazarene.

The Lady Rangers hit just 16-of-62 (25.8 percent) shots throughout the game and consistently struggled on the offensive side of the ball. A quick start to the third quarter brought the deficit back to within ten, but the quick start for the Crimson Storm ultimately provided too much of a cushion for Northwestern to overcome.

Freshman Bailey Brown led the way for the Lady Rangers with 11 points and six rebounds while fellow freshman Selena McDonald recorded 11 rebounds. Malad, Idaho native Hanah Peterson recorded a season-high nine points and eight rebounds as well.

Southern Nazarene hit five three-point shots in the first five minutes of the ball game to open up a 20-4 lead over the Lady Rangers. Northwestern continually worked their way into the paint throughout the first quarter and capitalized on 11 free throw shots, but failed to slow down the Crimson Storm offensive attack and found themselves down 29-15 at the conclusion of the opening quarter.

A 6-2 run to open up the ensuing quarter brought the Southern Nazarene lead down to just 10 points at 31-21 with just over five minutes remaining in the second quarter of action. Both teams continued to play a physical game as Southern Nazarene recorded nine blocks in the first half alone, while both teams committed a total of 29 fouls in the first 20 minutes of play.

Southern Nazarene hit an uncontested lay-up with 10 seconds remaining in the half to make the score 44-30 in favor of the Crimson Storm heading into the halftime break.

A McKenzie Billy three pointer just 44 seconds into the second half of action brought the deficit inside ten points for the first time since the 7:07 mark of the first quarter.

Northwestern stayed strong on the defensive side of the ball as well, holding the Crimson Storm without a basket during the first three minutes of the second half while putting together a 7-0 run to bring the score to 44-37.

A 12-1 Southern Nazarene run extended the lead back out to 56-38 with just under five minutes remaining in the third quarter. Northwestern was unable to mount a sustainable comeback throughout the remainder of the game, leading to the 76-54 defeat.

Up Next
The Lady Rangers will return to Percefull Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon looking to rebound after a tough road defeat. Tip-off for the contest against Oklahoma Baptist is scheduled for 1 p.m.

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