ALVA, Okla. – The No. 25 Northwestern Oklahoma State women's basketball team defeated Southwestern, 69-56, on Thursday night. The victory moves the Lady Rangers to 14-3 on the season, and 9-2 in Great American Conference play.

The Lady Rangers got off to a slow start, as Southwestern scored the first four points of the game, but quickly answered with an 8-0 run as Catyn Graham knocked down a three to get the scoring started. The Bulldogs responded with a 10-0 run of their own to take a 14-8 lead with 4:29 remaining in the opening quarter, but Northwestern capitalized on free throws from Kira Bass and Kennedy Hight to cut the deficit to three. After a Bulldog basket, the Lady Rangers closed the quarter with a 9-0 surge to lead 20-16 going into the second quarter.

The 9-0 run turned into a 19-0 run in the second quarter, as the Northwestern defense suffocated Southwestern by not allowing a point for the first five minutes of the quarter. The Lady Rangers continued to hammer away, as Bass and Conley Cayot scored via layups to go up 35-19 with 3:35 remaining in the half. The Bulldogs chipped away at the lead, but Northwestern still led at halftime, 39-28.
Southwestern continued to cut into the deficit in the third quarter, but Bass continued to score in the paint to keep the Lady Rangers up by double digits. The Northwestern defense continued to lock down Southwestern, as they held them scoreless for another two-minute stretch midway through the quarter. The Lady Rangers finished the third quarter off strong with free throws from Summya Adigun and a jumper from Cayot to lead 55-45 going into the fourth quarter.

The first half of the quarter was a defensive battle, as Southwestern outscored the Lady Rangers 6-2 to cut the lead to six with 5:14 to go in the game. The Lady Rangers pushed the lead back up to nine with buckets from Cayot and Jaida Shipp, but the Bulldogs responded with a three to give Northwestern a 62-56 lead with two minutes to play. Northwestern slammed the door shut with a 7-0 run consisting of nothing but free throws to win 69-56.

Bass led the Lady Rangers in scoring rebounds, and blocks with 20 points, 10 boards, and four rejections for her seventh double-double on the season, while Cayot led in assists with four. Both Adigun and Hight led in steals with three.

The Lady Rangers will be back in action on Jan. 26th, when they take on Southeastern Oklahoma State inside Percefull Fieldhouse at 5:30 p.m.

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