BETHANY, Okla. – The Northwestern Oklahoma State University men's basketball team struggled to get going Thursday night on the road as the Rangers fell at the hands of No. 10/12 Southern Nazarene, 98-60, in Bethany.
Northwestern (5-16, 3-12) looks to snap its current skid Saturday afternoon inside Percefull Fieldhouse when the Rangers host East Central at 3 p.m. It will be Hall of Fame Day for Northwestern as four Ranger greats will be inducted into the Northwestern Sports Hall of Fame at halftime of the men's game.
All current members of the Hall of Fame will be honored at halftime of the women's game, which tips off at 1 p.m.
On Thursday night, junior guard Jack Peck recorded his first double-double after scoring a team high 14 points and pulling down 10 rebounds, a career high as a Ranger. Senior A.J. Jones finished the game in double figures with 12 points, 5-for-9 from the floor, five rebounds and three assists.
David Thornton continues to work his way back onto the floor following an injury as he added nine points in just 15 minutes of action. Bryce Cashman had seven points, Cole Jones had five points, Bryshon Bryant finished with four points, Eric Andres Jr. and Hunter Frisby tacked on three points each.
Rounding out the scoring for the Rangers was Andrew Clopton with two points and Elijah Parks added a free-throw.
Despite a size advantage by the Crimson Storm, the Rangers were able to pull down 33 rebounds in the contest. However, there wasn't much opportunity for boards as the home team was able to convert on 51.6-percent of their shots in the game.
Five Southern Nazarene players finished in double-figures, led by Jhonathan Dunn with 18 points.
Bryant started the scoring for the Rangers with the first four points of the game, but the Crimson Storm knocked down back-to-back threes to spur a 9-0 run to break the game open early on. Southern Nazarene continued to stretch its advantage in the first, answering the Rangers any time they looked to be making a push.
SNU led the game 47-29 after the first 20 minutes.
Over the first six minutes of the second half, the Rangers look as if they were going to begin to chip away at the lead the Crimson Storm had built up. A.J. Jones started the stretch with a three early in the second half, followed by a Cole Jones jumper, then four straight from A.J. Jones and Thornton to make it a 53-39 game.
But the Rangers went cold in the last ten minutes of the game, allowing the Crimson Storm to stretch its lead to the final outcome.
For the latest news and updates on Ranger Basketball, follow @NWOSUAthletics on TWITTER or visit www.RIDERANGERSRIDE.com
