ALVA, OKLA. - The Lady Rangers defeated The Lady Bisons for the first time in school history Saturday on Senior Night, 65-63. Northwestern trailed by 10 at halftime and outscored Harding 24-12 in the third quarter storming back to beat the Bisons. Northwestern's strong second half created a battle down the stretch before pulling out the victory.
The Lady Rangers advance to 11-9 conference record with a 15-11 overall record. The Lady Bisons drop to a 17-8 overall record and a 13-7 conference record. This marked the most wins in the school program since joining division two and the most since the 2002 season.
Senior Scout Frame led The Lady Rangers in points with 22 followed closely by senior Bailey Brown with 19. Brown led the team with 7 rebounds and with this became the all-time leading rebounder in Northwestern women's basketball history! Brown and Carly Craig led with 8 assists each.
1st Quarter: The Lady Rangers built off their momentum from Thursday night by coming out strong with a three-pointer from senior Kes Reeves. The Lady Bison quickly responded with a jumper. Scout Frame contributed a free throw to put Northwestern in an early lead. Two back-to-back jumpers in response from The Lady Bison allowed them to gain the lead for their first time in the game. Senior Bailey Brown fired back with a jumper. Harding answered back with a three-pointer. Kinsey Neiderer contributed a wing three-pointer to leave The Lady Rangers trailing by only two. A jumper from S.Frame tied the game at 11-11. The Lady Bison responded with a late 9-0 to put them in the lead 20-11 going into the second quarter.
2nd Quarter: A layup by Brown out of the break closed the gap on Harding to start the quarter. S.Frame contributed with a jumper. The Lady Bison responded with a three-pointer that jump-started another 9-0 run. Andi Pierce ended their run with a jump shot. Brown contributed by firing off a three-pointer. The Lady Bison answered back with a three-pointer. Two back-to-back shots from S.Frame closed the gap on Harding to 10 points, 34-24. The Lady Bison responded with a jump shot silencing each Lady Ranger attempt to come back. A free throw to close the half by Brown left Northwestern trailing 35-25 at the break. S.Frame led the team with 9 points followed closely by Brown with 8. Carly Craig led in assists with 4. S.Frame and Neiderer led with 4 rebounds each.
3rd Quarter: Northwestern struck first out of halftime with a jumper by Neiderer to close the gap on The Lady Bison. S.Frame built on the momentum with a layup. Both teams battled point for point. A free throw by Brown left Northwestern trailing 45-36. S.Frame contributed a layup to keep Harding in striking distance. Craig fired off a three-pointer from the top of the key. The Lady Bison responded with a layup. S.Frame answered with a free throw and jumper. Reeves fired off a three-pointer to tie the game at 47-47. A beautiful assist by S.Frame and a layup by Brown put The Lady Rangers ahead 49-47 for their first lead since the first quarter. Northwestern outscored Harding 24-12 in the third quarter to take the lead into the final quarter.
4th Quarter: Out of the final quarter break, Craig scored a layup off a back door cut to further Northwestern's lead. The Lady Bison responded with a three-pointer. Brown answered back with a dribble-drive layup. S.Frame contributed to The Lady Ranger momentum with a three-point play. Harding responded with a layup and three-pointer to tie the game once more. S.Frame sank a free throw to put the Rangers back in front. The Bisons answered back with two free throws tying the game at 57-57. Neiderer fired off a three-pointer for The Lady Rangers putting them back in the lead. Harding answered back with two more free throws bringing it back down to one. S.Frame responded with a jump shot. The Lady Bisons fought back with a layup. Brown contributed a layup to leave The Lady Rangers ahead by one point. A free throw by Josena Frame secured The Ranger victory over The Lady Bison 65-63.
The Lady Rangers look to build on their winning streak with their final game at Percefull Fieldhouse this season Thursday. They face off Thursday against the Crimson Storm of Southern Nazarene with tip-off set for 5:30 PM.
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