ALVA, Okla. – The Northwestern Oklahoma State men's basketball team has moved into solo second place in the Great American Conference standings after two close victories on the road over the past weekend.

Those two close victories came against Arkansas-Monticello and Southern Arkansas by a combined three points and have since moved the Rangers into second place at 12-5 in conference play. Northwestern will look to carry that momentum over into this weekend's series of games with a match-up on the road against Oklahoma Baptist on Thursday evening.  

The results of last weekend have then set the stage for a showdown between the GAC's top two teams on Saturday afternoon inside Percefull Fieldhouse, as the Crimson Storm of Southern Nazarene will put their undefeated conference record on the line against the Rangers.

Southern Nazarene took care of business in the team's first match-up of the season and defeated the Black-and-Red by a final score of 82-73. The Rangers had five players reach double-digit scoring figures, but were unable to overcome the solid performances from Crimson Storm guard Jhonathan Dunn and center Noah Starkey.

Dunn and Starkey posted scoring totals of 20 and 19 points during that contest and have been a difficult combination for all GAC teams to defend. Dunn currently ranks fourth in the league with an average of 18.4 points per game, while Starkey is currently averaging 13.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.

As for the Rangers, junior Treyvon Andres and senior Greg Minor Jr. have emerged as viable scoring threats as both players scored 10 or more points in both games over the past weekend. The two stand outs also led the squad in rebounding over the weekend, proving that the two have elevated their games in hopes of taking down the conference's top dog come Saturday afternoon.

With postseason seeding on the line, the Rangers will continue to lean on a strong defense that has been their backbone all season long. Northwestern ranks second in the league in scoring defense at 71.7 points per game while also averaging 8.1 steals per contest as well.

That defense will be looked upon to lead the Rangers on the road Thursday evening in a game versus an Oklahoma Baptist squad that will be looking to slow the Northwestern momentum ahead of the showdown with Southern Nazarene. All eyes will be on the match-up inside between two of the GAC's most dynamic big men in Andres and Chandler Rickey.

Rickey currently ranks sixth in scoring (18.3 ppg) and fourth in rebounding (7.0 rpg) so far this season for the Bison and will be squaring off against the 6'8, 240-pound frame of Andres in what promises to be an exciting match-up. Both players ranks first and second in the league in blocked shots with 105 swats between the two in just 41 games played.

The Ranger guards will also be tasked with containing one of the league's top point guards in Vladimir Nemcok, who ranks first in the league with an average of 6.4 assists per game. That combination of Nemcock and Rickey is always a difficult one for any team to slow down, and with the Bison desperate for a victory in order to get them back into the postseason, the Rangers defense must be primed and ready to go come Thursday night.

Games are scheduled to begin on Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. and then on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m.