ALVA, Okla. – The Northwestern Oklahoma State women's basketball team defeated Arkansas-Monticello, 83-63, to clinch a spot in the Great American Conference tournament. The win puts the Lady Rangers at 18-8 on the season and 13-7 in GAC play.
The Lady Rangers and Cotton Blossoms traded baskets to start the game, but Northwestern broke free on an 8-2 run led by
Summya Adigun,
Jaida Shipp, and
Kira Bass to take a 13-8 lead midway through the opening quarter. Arkansas-Monticello rallied to cut the lead down to one, but Adigun and
Kennedy Hight nailed back-to-back threes to extend the lead up to seven. The lead continued to balloon to double digits as Shipp hammered away inside to put Northwestern up 25-15 at the end of the first quarter.
Northwestern continued to keep the Cotton Blossoms at bay with shots in the paint from Bass and Shipp, and the lead continued to grow off a layup from Bass with 4:49 remaining in the second quarter to give the Lady Rangers an 11-point advantage. A 9-2 run by the Lady Rangers helped close out the half to bring Northwestern's lead to 44-30 going into the locker room.
In the second half, Northwestern continued to widen the gap with a 10-0 run fueled by Bass, Shipp, and Adigun to push the lead up to 58-37 midway through the quarter. The Cotton Blossoms tried to answer with a run of their own, but Adigun and
Catyn Graham buried shots to keep Northwestern up 64-49 going into the fourth quarter.
Hight knocked down a trey to open up the final frame, and Bass scored on a putback to quickly move the lead pack to 20, where it stayed for most of the quarter. Shipp scored the next six points to keep the lead at 21, but Bass and Graham combined for a 6-2 stretch to push the lead up to 81-56, making it the largest lead for the Lady Rangers since January 10 against Henderson State. Shipp scored one final time, and the Lady Rangers capped senior day with a beatdown of the Cotton Blossoms, 83-63.
Northwestern had two 20-point scorers, with Bass dropping 25 while Shipp scored a season-high 22. Bass led in rebounds with seven, while Shipp led in assists with a career-high six.
The Lady Rangers will be back in action on February 26, when they take on Oklahoma Baptist University inside Percefull Fieldhouse at 5:30 p.m.
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