SHAWNEE, Okla. – Northwestern Oklahoma State men's basketball picked up a much needed win on Thursday, defeating Oklahoma Baptist 76-75 while shooting an impressive 63 percent from the field to move to 17-6 (13-5 GAC) on the season.

The Rangers capped off a back-and-forth second half with a big defensive stand in the dying seconds after Brandon Green hit what would turn out to be the game-winning layup. With just four seconds remaining, the Bison inbounded to Vladamir Nemcok who ran the length of the floor before tossing up a well-defended layup at the buzzer, securing the Rangers fifth straight win.

Junior shooting guard A'keem Oglesby was red-hot in the first half, knocking down a trio of three-pointers in the span of just four minutes. Oglesby notched a team-best 15 points and added two assists.
Northwestern managed to outscore OBU 40-26 in the paint against one of the conference's best in Chandler Rickey, a 6'6" senior who has shredded defenses all year long. Averaging 18.3 points per game (5^th in GAC), Rickey knocked down 9-of-13 from the field for a game-high 26 points.

Cody Halvorson, the league's most dangerous three-point threat, added to his conference best 68 three-pointers with a 3-for-6 night from beyond-the-arc as the senior chipped in 13 points with two steals.

In a game that saw 22 lead changes, the Rangers consistently answered back whenever Oklahoma Baptist scored down the stretch. In the final 10 minutes, the two teams traded blows so often that neither squad could build more than a two-point advantage.

Northwestern's 31-for-49 clip from the field is their second-best shooting performance this season, behind only a 66 percent night in a 101-93 win over East Central on January 20.  

With Thursday's win, the Rangers officially punch their ticket to the 2018 Great American Conference tournament to be held March 1-4 in Bartlesville, Okla.

Up Next
Northwestern will return to Percefull Fieldhouse this weekend for two crucial matchups as we head into the final stretch of the regular season. Saturday, Feb. 17 will see the Rangers square off against #10 Southern Nazarene University in a 1 vs 2 battle at the top of the Great American Conference standings. The Rangers will be honoring five seniors (Cedric Collinge, Greg Minor Jr., Brandon Green, Trey Johnson, and Cody Halvorson) prior to the scheduled 3 p.m. tip-off.

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