SHAWNEE, Okla. – A well-drawn up play in the final seconds set up a Kalea King jumper in the lane to give the Northwestern Oklahoma State University a 67-65 victory over Oklahoma Baptist in Shawnee, Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon.
It was the first victory by Northwestern on the road inside the Noble Complex against OBU since the 2007 season to snap an eight game losing streak. The win also snapped a four-game road losing streak this season for the Lady Rangers.
The Lady Rangers move into a four-way tie for the eighth Great American Conference tournament spot with a 3-7 GAC record and 6-11 overall. OBU dropped back into the same position in the conference standings and 7-9 overall.
Northwestern will return home Thursday night for a conference showdown against Harding. Tipoff inside Percefull Fieldhouse is set for 5:30 p.m.
The Lady Rangers held on to a 50-39 advantage to start the fourth quarter With 5:26 to go in the game and the Lady Rangers up by nine, the Lady Bison began a comeback push with a 7-0 run sparked by an Autumn Avina three-pointer.
However, Avina turned the ball over with 4:23 to go to set up a Presley Payahsape connection with King for an easy layup to make it 57-51 Lady Rangers. After a pair of Lady Bison free-throws, Jakeria Otey completed a three-point with a jumper and a free-throw to yet again stretch the lead to seven.
OBU again cut the difference too two points before Otey answered with a huge basket from behind the arc to make it a five-point ballgame. The home team ultimately tied up the game with a 7-2 run over a two-minute span to tie the game at with 31-seconds remaining when Avina hit a jumper following a Lady Ranger offensive foul.
Following an inbound in front of the Lady Ranger bench, Jones found a cutting King going toward the basket. King pulled up in the middle of the lane for a touch basket with two-seconds to go for give the Lady Rangers the victory.
Northwestern had a balanced scoring sheet in the victory with King leading the way with 14. Otey and Bailey Brown, who just missed another double-double with eight rebounds, finished with 11 points. Nine of the 11 Lady Rangers who saw time in the game put the ball in the basket.
The Lady Rangers won the rebound battle for the second straight game as they outrebounded the home team 36-33.
Brown was perfect from the line in six attempts, as well Otey in three opportunities, to help the Lady Rangers to an 11-for-13 performance from the charity stripe.
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