ALVA, Okla. – The Lady Rangers win their Great American Conference opener of the 2020-2021 season Saturday afternoon after topping the Bison of Oklahoma Baptist University, 65-56. NWOSU Women's Basketball has not started the season 3-0 since the 2004-2005 season, until now.
Northwestern now leads OBU in the GAC history series 6-5 after gaining their fourth straight victory over the Bison.
"It was nice to have Bailey Brown back on the floor with us." Head Coach Tasha Diesselhorst explains. "I thought her and Mya worked really well together, and both of them finishing with a double-double is great to see."
"I'm really proud of the girls for sticking with it even though we didn't shoot the ball well," Diesselhorst says. "I thought down the stretch we executed and made some big plays when we needed to."
"It always feels good to get that first conference win," Diesselhorst adds.
The Red-and-Black finished with three players in double-digit figures.
Bailey Brown, who just returned for the first game of her senior season, finished only four assists shy of a triple-double. She posted 19 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and two steals. Brown finished 78.6% from the free-throw line making 11-of-14.
Mya Johnson racked up another double-double after ending with 17 points, 11 rebounds and four steals. She finished shooting an impressive 80% or 8-of-10 from inside.
Scout Frame finished with 10 points, two rebounds, an assist and a steal. She shot 100% from the free-throw line after attempting three.
The Lady Rangers shot 33.3% or 20-of-60 from inside but finished with a respective 75% from the free-throw line after making 21-of-28.
OKLAHOMA BAPTIST LEADERS –
Malou Lachenmeier led the way for the Bison with 13 points and four rebounds. Following Lachenmeier was Andreja Peciuraite, who finished with 12 points and nine rebounds.
OBU finished shooting 17-of-45 or 37.8% from the field. The Bison went 17-of-23 from the free-throw line and 5-of-20 from outside. Their largest lead of the day was only three points after 10 lead changes.
FIRST QUARTER
Johnson starts the game with a tip-off win, and a layup from underneath that Brown assisted. The Lady Rangers fire first and force a turnover less than a minute into the first quarter. Brown makes her way to the free-throw line first and sinks both to put the Red-and-Black up 4-0 over the Bison. OBU gets on the board after Kaylee Hurst drops a three-pointer to cut the lead to one. Johnson decides to go on her own scoring run after laying in three quick scores for Northwestern putting NWOSU up 10-6 with six left to play in the quarter. At the 1:28 minute mark, the Bison led the Lady Rangers 17-14 until Brown returns to the free-throw line again to rack up two quick points to cut the lead to one until Lizzie Shephard swishes one from outside to go up on the Bison by two to end the quarter, 19-17 NW.
SECOND QUARTER
Brown snags a Bison turnover to open the second quarter, and Johnson steps to the free-throw line to put a point on the board for the Lady Rangers. Charissa Price rattles in a jumper for the Bison to cut into the NWOSU lead 20-19. After back-to-back turnovers from both teams, Brown throws it in from underneath to go up three on the Bison. Johnson grabs her second steal of the afternoon three minutes in and tosses it to Shephard, who then passes it to Jarah Whitfield, the freshman from Boise City, that drained the jumper to boost the lead to five. With only five minutes left in the first half, Oklahoma Baptist's Kayla Highfill makes two free throws to bring the score to 25-21, NW. After battling up and down the court, S. Frame steals the ball from Highfill and quickly scores to go up 31-25 until Lachenmeier drains a three-pointer to answer back to the Lady Rangers. With only 30 seconds left in the first half, the Bison fight their way to top the scoreboard 35-32 after Lachenmeier scores off a jumper… As the time winds down to just two seconds left in the first half, Josena Frame, a freshman, gets fouled on a three-point shot and steps to the line to sink all three free throws to keep the Red-and-Black alive in the first half with both scores tied at 35.
THIRD QUARTER
The Bison scored first in the third quarter after Jenni Beebe lays one up underneath. Brown earns her fourth assist of the day after tossing it down below to S. Frame, who throws it into the hoop, makes it, and gets fouled. She sinks the free throw to gain a one-point lead over the Bison until Hurst rolls in a layup to go up one. After three scoreless minutes, Brown puts in a layup, and Peciuraite immediately answers back with a score from inside. With four minutes left in the third, Kes Reeves rolls in a layup, and Lachenmeier sinks a three pointer to go up two on the Red-and-Black; Reeves doesn't like that answer, she decides to make a call from deep and the answer is good. NWOSU leads 45-44. A minute remains when Bison player River Romine makes a free throw to tie the game until Hayley Stiger answers back with a made free throw to end the third period. 46-45, NW.
FOURTH QUARTER
Two made free throws from S. Frame, and a steal from Johnson opens the final minutes of the conference opener for the Lady Rangers. Highfill scores first after she lays one up for the Bison to keep the scores within a point difference three minutes into the fourth. Johnson earns her 13th point to keep NWOSU up by three until Beebe grabs a quick score for the Bison. No worries from Shephard after she fires from deep, sinking her second three-pointer of the afternoon to stay up three on OBU. With three minutes left to play, Peciuraite steps to the line and makes two free throws to cut the Northwestern lead to just two, but Johnson scores her final points to increase the lead by four. S. Frame drains a three-point shot that Reeves assisted to go up on the Bison by seven with only thirty seconds left in the game. After made free throws from Reeves and Brown, the Lady Rangers finish on top of Oklahoma Baptist 65-56.
Northwestern Oklahoma State Lady Rangers now move to 3-0 on the season and 1-0 in GAC play.
On Monday, Jan. 11, the Red-and-Black will travel to Weatherford to face the Bulldogs of Southwestern Oklahoma State at 5:30 p.m.
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