By CONNOR GRAY, Assistant Editor
The Northwestern Lady Rangers went 1-1 last week by defeating Arkansas-Monticello, but losing to Southern Arkansas.
The Lady Rangers had lost three straight games before the Arkansas-Monticello game, and they looked to their upcoming home games to bounce back.
Their first game back home was against Arkansas-Monticello, a team that has yet to win a game all year.
After the game started, Arkansas-Monticello went up 5-0, but two minutes later the Rangers retook the lead and never trailed again as they dominated the Cotton Blossoms in every aspect of the game.
The Lady Rangers surpassed their season high of points in a conference game with 97. The previous high was 84 against Henderson State earlier this year.
Bailey Brown had another big performance by leading the team in points, with 28 and 8 rebounds. Scout Frame also had a good day, with 18 points and six rebounds.
Carly Craig led the team with eight assists as the team finished with 26 assists. Andi Pierce also led the team with four steals.
The Lady Rangers’ next opponent would not be as easy, as they played Southern Arkansas, which the Lady Rangers beat on the road earlier in the season.
The Muleriders had a 9-9 record going into the game, and the Rangers needed this game to improve their chances of making the postseason.
But the Lady Rangers were unable to get anything going as the team shot poorly throughout the game. The team missed easy baskets and open shots.
The Muleriders played well defensively and got open shots, exposing the Rangers’ defense. The Muleriders won, 72-47.
The team shot 27% from the field, as players could not capitalize on shots in the paint and were unable to answer anything Southern Arkansas threw at them.
Head coach Tasha Diesselhorst talked about the two games and how they affect the team going forward.
“The Monticello win was a good win for us,” Diesselhorst said. “We kind of gave up on one that we’ll look back on the Southern Arkansas game.”
Diesselhorst said Southern Arkansas was a game the Rangers needed, as it would help with the standing for the conference tournament.
Diesselhorst did comment on the team’s shooting, especially in the paint.
“Bailey and Scout were getting great shots,” she said. “I think they were just sped up and not taking time and were out of position and they need to finish better.”
The Lady Rangers’ next game is Thursday against Southwestern in Weatherford, with the next game at Percefull Fieldhouse on Saturday against East Central.