By CONNOR GRAY, Assistant Editor
After clinching a spot in the Great American Conference tournament, the Northwestern men’s basketball team answered with season sweeps on Arkansas Tech and Harding.
The celebration was short, though, as the Rangers needed to be ready to play the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys and the Harding Bisons with one day of rest.
The Rangers’ first opponent was the Wonder Boys, whom the team defeated, 83-67, in January after jumping out to a hot start in the second half. And the Rangers didn’t look back.
The game was similar to last time, but the Wonder Boys were never truly out of the game. The first half was close, with the Rangers only up by six.
The Rangers cruised through most of the half, being up by 14 around the 5-minute mark of the second half.
The Wonder Boys clawed back into it to get within five, but the Ranger defense held off to win, 84-75.
Malik Parsons got 21 points, adding another game where he has been the heart of the team’s scoring.
The Rangers’ next opponent was the Harding Bison, who gave the Rangers a fight in the previous meeting, 83-80.
The first half was a back-and-forth affair, with the Rangers managing to tie it going into halftime.
The second half was a poor start, as the Rangers got behind.
Harding went on a 9-1 run as the Rangers struggled to make a stop.
The Rangers took a timeout to recollect themselves. But according to Vinay Patel, the head coach of the Rangers, he didn’t have to say anything.
“They were saying most of the things in the timeout,” Patel said. “They knew we weren’t playing to the best of their ability, and they pulled it out of each other.”
After that timeout, the Rangers came out firing and tied the game up by going on a run of their own.
The Rangers took the lead and attempted to extend the lead several times, but Harding kept the game close into the final minutes.
The Rangers won, 100-94, their highest point total against a conference opponent this season.
Malik Parsons had 25 points, which is the most he has scored all season.
With two final games, the team will need a win over Southern Nazarene a to keep the third seed in the GAC.
