By MEGAN MAHARRY
Sports Reporter
The Lady Rangers basketball team closed out their season with a pair of road games against East Central University and Southeastern Oklahoma State. The Lady Rangers defeated ECU, but lost to Southeastern.
A comeback in the fourth quarter against ECU gave the Lady Rangers a 76-71 victory. The Lady Rangers trailed by as many as 16 during the first half, but managed to outscore ECU in the final quarter 22-12.
ECU led for most of the game, connecting on 7-of-15 attempts from the three-point line. The second half looked more promising for the Lady Rangers as they chipped away at ECU’s lead.
The Lady Ranger shot 43.8 percent going 21-of-48 from the floor and forced ECU to make 18 turnovers. The Lady Rangers also hit 29-of-32 free throw attempts.
Freshman Bailey Brown led her team with a career high 25 points, going 9-of-12 from the field. Junior Jade Jones had no points in the first half, but came back to score 16 in the second half.
Jakeria Otey and Kinsey Neiderer also had double digit points, scoring 15 and 16 points respectively.
The victory over ECU gave the Lady Rangers life in hopes of a GAC postseason tournament spot. Unfortunately, the Lady Rangers lost the must-win situation game to Southeastern, 70-53.
Southeaster’s offense was hot throughout the game, shooting a team high 50 percent from the field. The Lady Rangers trailed by only four at half, but were only able to convert on 8-of-31 shots in the second half.
The Lady Rangers hung with Southeastern until the final quarter. The Lady Rangers had a 15-4 run and eventually tied the game in the third quarter.
Shots did not seem to fall in favor of the Lady Rangers as Southeastern outscored them 37-to-24 in the final half. A fourth quarter run gave Southeastern the victory.
Junior McKenzie Billy led her team with 14 points. Jones and Otey each had double digits of 12 and 10 points respectively. Freshman Selena McDonald grabbed 10 rebounds.
The loss ends the Lady Ranger’s season as they will not qualify for the Great American Conference. The Lady Rangers finish their season 12-16 overall and 8-14 in conference play.