By TRAVIS HARMON-SMITH
Staff Reporter
Northwestern Men’s and Women’s basketball faced the Tigers of Ouachita Baptist University in a double-header Saturday afternoon.The Lady Rangers prevailed in a four point overtime victory 63-59, while the men lost a one-point heartbreaker 70-69.
In the first contest, the Lady Rangers (9-12, 8-7 GAC) experienced an early scoring drought in the first six and half minutes of play as the Lady Tiger defense controlled most of the perimeter ball movement, disabling inside shooting opportunities for Northwestern.
At the 12:06 mark in the first half, the Lady Rangers found offensive rhythm, making better decisions in transition that resulted in numerous layups and jump shots to give the Lady Rangers their first lead of the half. Unfortunately, with 1:29 left in the first, OBU’s Alexis Sharp hit two free throws that would tie it up 23-23 going into halftime.
Coming out in the second, both teams played rigorously on the defensive side of the ball, not scoring more than six points in the early minutes of the half. During the later minutes, the Lady Rangers rallied back within two with five seconds left on the clock. Northwestern senior forward Jonna Gregory was fouled and would go to the line to shoot two free throws. Gregory missed both attempts but Lady Ranger guard Jonae Isaac gathered a rebound off the missed free throw for a quick two point basket, tying the score 55-55 and resulting in overtime.
In overtime, Northwestern came out to a slow start, going down four. However, the Lady Rangers would find themselves back in rhythm for two more baskets, giving them a four-point 63-59 overtime win.
During the Men’s contest, Northwestern (6-16, 5-10) and Ouachita Baptist displayed tenacity during the first 20 minutes of the half. OBU would climb their way back with numerous transition baskets down the stretch, giving the Tigers a 12-point lead with 5:13 left in the first. The Rangers returned the favor, going on a late 9-4 run, trimming the score to seven at halftime.
OBU came out fiery in the second half, pushing the lead to 13 with five minutes left in the game. Northwestern would respond late in the second half with an 11-3 run cutting the lead down to four. Moments after, Northwestern guard T’Aries Taylor hit a late three-pointer with four seconds left on the clock. OBU’s Micah Delph capped off the game for the Tigers. hitting two free throws and giving OBU a close 70-69 decision over the Rangers.
Thursday evening during Spirit Week festivities, both teams faced Great American Conference opponent Harding University. The Lady Rangers fought hard against the Lady Bison who are ranked 20th in the nation according the NCAA Division II polls, but could not sustain the effort, falling 64-45. The Ranger Men’s defeated the Bison by one, 66-65.
Both teams will be on the road this weekend in Arkansas, facing Great American Conference opponent Arkansas Tech and Henderson State.