EDMOND, OKLAHOMA- Northwestern Oklahoma State Men's Basketball concluded the MIAA/GAC Challenge Saturday afternoon against Northeastern State. The Rangers would use a solid defensive performance to gain control of the game and pick up their win of the season after holding the Riverhawks to just 21 points in the opening half. Northwestern would win 66-58 over Northeastern Saturday afternoon.
 

Matej Drgon led the Rangers with 13 points in the game to lead the Rangers bench and a well-balanced offensive attack. Drgon was one of four double-digit scorers as their players in Jason Stanley-Douglas, Brain Free, and Anthony Jones all finished with 11 points in the game. Bubba Furlong would finish the game leading the Rangers in rebounding and blocks with 11 boards along with three blocks. He was followed by Larry White's ten rebounds. Malik Parsons led the Rangers with three assists.
 

The Rangers improved to 1-1 on the season following a weekend split in the MIAA/GAC challenge this weekend.
 

"It's always good to get that first win of the year.  I thought our guys did a really nice job defensively early in the game.  Shots were not falling, and we really had to rely on that end.  There were spurts in the second half that I thought we were really moving the ball offensively.  For us to keep improving we need to turn those spurts into consistency" stated head coach Vinay Patel on the Saturday win.

The game opened with an all-out defensive battle between the two teams Saturday as the Rangers and Riverhawks would go the first four and half minutes to open the game 0-0 before a Free three-pointer put the Rangers on the board first to take a 3-0 lead. Northwestern would take a 6-0 lead before the Riverhawks would score their first basket of the game six minutes into the opening half with 14:03 to play with Northwestern in front 6-2. Northwestern would go on an 8-3 run than to take a 14-5 lead at the halfway point of the opening half following an Eric Hancik jump shot to push the Rangers up by nine.
 

The Rangers would take their first double-digit lead of the game following a layup, and Stanley-Douglas took two foul shots to give the Rangers a 19-7 lead. Northeastern would go on a late first-half push to cut the Rangers lead back down to four at 21-17 with four minutes to play in the opening half. The Riverhawks would get as close as two before a White layup before the half pushed the Rangers up by four at 25-21 going into the break.
 

The second half started completely opposite of the first half as each team came out firing with some early points trading baskets. Northwestern would push their lead back up to nine at 34-25 two minutes into the second-half following a layup. A Furlong dunk would put the Rangers back in front by 11. Brain Free hit a three-pointer to push the Rangers to their largest lead of the day so far at 14 with a 41-27 lead five minutes into the second half. Drgon would hit a jump shot to put the Rangers in front by 19 at the halfway point of the second half.
 

"We have our first home game on Monday.  I would really like to encourage everyone to come see our group!  These guys are excited to have fans back in the stands and we would love to see you in Percefull!" coach Vinay Patel said following the win.
 

Northwestern's largest lead came with eight minutes left following a Stanley-Douglas three-pointer at 55-33. Northeastern would attempt their comeback bid following that with nine straight points to cut the deficit down to 13 at 55-42. Stanley-Douglas stopped their run with two foul shots, though, to keep the Rangers in control. Northeastern would get as close as seven points with 3:18 left to play following a Riverhawks three-pointer. A Furlong layup would push the Rangers back up by nine. In the final seconds of the game, with the Rangers holding an 11 point lead Northeastern would hit a three to cut the Rangers lead to 66-58. That would be the final score as the Rangers picked up their first win of the 2021-2022 season over Northeastern Saturday afternoon.
 

The Red-and-Black will play in their home opener Monday evening at 7:00PM hosting Kansas Christian College in Percefull Fieldhouse for a non-conference game.

For the latest news and updates on NWOSU Men's Basketball, follow @NWOSUAthletics on TWITTER or visit www.riderangersride.com.