ALVA, Okla  - The Northwestern Oklahoma State women's basketball team defeated Oklahoma Baptist on Thursday, 59-38, fueled by a double-double effort by Kira Bass. The win moves the Lady Rangers to 19-8 on the season and 14-7 in Great American Conference play.

The two sides battled defensively for much of the first period of play, as neither side could take control. Northwestern was able to take control late in the first period by shutting the Bison down for the final 4:59 of the quarter, with Kennedy Hight nailing a three to give the Lady Rangers a 9-6 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Lady Rangers picked up where they left off to start the second by going on a 7-4 stretch led by Summya Adigun to take a 16-10 lead midway through the second period. Northwestern held strong late in the quarter as Bass attacked inside the paint and Hight drained another triple to take a 23-15 lead into halftime.

The Lady Rangers defensive pressure picked back up to start the second half as they held the Bison to just six points with 3:30 left in the quarter, getting out to a ten point lead at 31-21 off layups from Bass and Adigun. Northwestern saw their lead get down to seven late in the third, as the Bison rallied to make the score 32-25. The Lady Rangers weathered the run by the Bison to push the lead back to ten at the end of the period, with Catyn Graham making plays on both sides of the ball to help expand the lead.

Northwestern's lead continued to balloon in the fourth quarter, as the Lady Rangers went on a 12-2 run fueled by Jaida Shipp and Madison Denison to move the lead to 50-30 midway through the quarter. Graham buried a three to push the lead up to 21, and Bass kept widening the gap with a pair of free throws to give Northwestern a 23-point advantage with three minutes to go. The Lady Rangers kept the lead above 20, as the beat the Bison 59-38, making it the first time since 2024 that they held a GAC opponent under 40 points.

Bass led the Lady Rangers in scoring and rebounds with 22 points and 10 boards for her 12th double-double of the season, while Hight led in assists with four.
    
The Lady Rangers will be back in action on February 28, as they travel to Bethany to take on Southern Nazarene at 1 p.m. to wrap up the regular season. 

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