ALVA, OKLAHOMA - Northwestern Oklahoma State Women's Basketball was home Saturday afternoon against Oklahoma Baptist. The Bison used a quick start in the Saturday game before closing out the 67-51 victory over the Rangers.
Northwestern drops to 12-12 on the season with a 9-9 in conference play. Oklahoma Baptist improves to 16-8 on the season.
Payton Jones and Jaida Shipp led the Lady Rangers with 14 points each in the game. Carly Craig led with three assists. Camille Thomas had a team-high 11 rebounds while scoring six points with a steal and a block.
Oklahoma Baptist opened the game on an 8-0 run over close to a three-minute opening stretch, as Parker Stevenson led with five points. Jaida Shipp broke the run and scored the first points for the Lady Rangers. Oklahoma Baptist pushed their lead to double digits on a shot by Jill Leslie to take a 14-4 lead over the Lady Rangers. The Bison went 3-7 from three in the opening 10 minutes. The Bison used 10 first-quarter points from Stevenson to take a 19-8 lead into the end of the first quarter. Northwestern forced three turnovers on Oklahoma Baptist in the opening quarter.Â
Tegan Jones scored first in the second quarter getting the Rangers' deficit back under 10 at 19-10 with her first points of the game. Payton Jones scored her first points as the Lady Rangers scored the first four in the second quarter as Northwestern held the Bison scoreless in the first two minutes before Mackenzie Crusoe hit a three-pointer to end the Northwestern run. Payton Jones then ended a two-minute scoring drought for both teams as Northwestern continued to try and climb into the deficit. However, after a turnover, Oklahoma Baptist hit a three-pointer from Conde to push the Bison lead back to 10 at 24-14. Northwestern after a Carly Craig three-pointer cut the deficit down to six at 26-20, but the Bison were able to get their lead back to 10 at 32-22 right at halftime as the Lady Rangers trailed at the break.Â
Oklahoma Baptist scored the first four points of the second half before Jaida Ship got the Rangers on the board. After the Bison scored at the 8:12 mark the Lady Rangers held them scoreless until the 4:46 mark. In that time frame the Lady Rangers went on a 7-0 run and cut the deficit back down to seven points at 36-29, on a Payton Jones three and a shot by Kira Bass. Mackenzie Crusoe ended the run though with a fast break transition layup for the 38-29 lead. A three-pointer by Carly Craig in the final two minutes of the third quarter got the Lady Rangers back within four at 42-38, that would be the deficit as the teams traded free throws as the Lady Rangers trailed 44-40 at the end of the 3rd quarter.Â
As the fourth quarter started the two teams traded three-pointers as Payton Jones hit one from the top of the key. However, after the three the Lady Rangers went close to four minutes without a point as Oklahoma Baptist pushed their lead back into double digits at 54-43 after a 7-0 run. It was Jaida Shipp who silenced the run with a layup assisted by Camille Thomas as Northwestern trailed by nine. Camille Thomas hit a turnaround jump shot to get back within eight points but that was the closest the Rangers could get as Oklahoma Baptist pushed their lead back to 16 points to close out the win at 67-51 over the Lady Rangers.
Northwestern hit the road for the next three games starting with a road trip in Arkansas, against Southern Arkansas in Magnolia with tip-off scheduled for 5:30 PM.
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