By OAKLEE FIELDER
Sports Editor
Last week, the Women’s basketball team had two away games. One against the Southern Arkansas University Muleriders, and the other against the University of Arkansas at Monticello Cotton Blossoms.
NWOSU 72-SAU 67
The first game against the Muleriders started with a free throw by Jaida Shipp, but the Muleriders responded and ran away. They were up by five when the two teams started going back and forth. In the final minute, the Muleriders extended their lead to eight to end the quarter. The first two minutes of the second quarter was scoreless until Lily Mahy shot a three pointer. Kira Bass then hit two layups to make the score difference one.
A couple free throws for the Muleriders extended their lead to four. Payton Jones made a layup and Tegan Jones shot two but made one free throw to make the difference two again.
With two minutes left in the quarter, Kira Bass made a layup to take the lead for the Lady Rangers. NWOSU continued their momentum and ended the half up by six after a three pointer by Mahy.
The second half started with a field goal by the Muleriders, but NWOSU’s momentum was very strong.
The Lady Rangers’ lead was nine points just three minutes into the quarter. They continued their momentum and charged up to have thirteen points over Southern Arkansas.
The Muleriders did fight back towards the end of the quarter, shrinking the Lady Rangers’ lead to nine, but a layup by Carly Craig made it eleven at the end of the quarter. The beginning of the fourth quarter started a lot like the end of the third, the two teams were going back and forth with the Lady Rangers’ lead shrinking and growing. The Muleriders did start to get the upper hand on Northwestern, shrinking their lead smaller and smaller until there were only two points separating them with two minutes left in the game.
In the final moments of the game, the Lady Rangers locked in and made a cushion of five points against Southern Arkansas. The Muleriders didn’t go down without a fight and made the difference three again.
With two free throws by Payton Jones, the Lady Rangers sealed the win over Southern Arkansas.
NWOSU 52-UAM 57
The second game for the Lady Rangers was against the University of Arkansas at Monticello Cotton Blossoms. It started with a layup by Camille Thomas to take the early lead for Northwestern.
The Cotton Blossoms responded with seven points to be five up on the Lady Rangers. A three pointer by Craig shrank it to just two. The next minute and a half were scoreless.
A three pointer by Mahy broke the scoreless streak, which was responded by a three pointer from Monticello, which was responded with another three pointer by Mahy. The two teams traded the lead a few times, but the Cotton Blossoms hit a buzzer beater three pointer to hold the lead at the end of the quarter. To start the second quarter, the two teams went back and forth, until with six minutes left, the Cotton Blossoms bettered Northwestern and were up by five. The Lady Rangers responded and took the lead just two minutes later. Monticello was able to get the best of Northwestern again, but the Lady Rangers came right back. With eight seconds left on the clock, Bass made a layup with an assist from Craig and the Lady Rangers had the lead entering the second half.
Northwestern kept their momentum into the second half and were up by five in two minutes. Monticello responded and shrunk their lead to only two. The Lady Rangers were able to get back to five in front after a three pointer by Jones. The next and final three minutes were scoreless until a layup by Bass with twenty-three seconds left in the quarter. The final quarter started off in favor of the Cotton Blossoms. Northwestern responded with a three pointer by Craig. The Lady Rangers seemed to have stalled out after the three quarters ended, as they could not get anything going.
Monticello was able to shrink the Lady Rangers’ lead and tied it with two and a half minutes left in the game. Two free throws by Thomas increased Northwestern’s lead back to two, but it was quickly responded and the game was tied once again with just two minutes left.
The Cotton Blossoms continued to score on Northwestern and they eventually had the lead by three with twenty seconds left. With a chance to tie and send the game to overtime, Craig tried two three pointers with the help of Bass, but they were not able to score. The Lady Rangers sit in sixth position in the GAC standings and have clinched a berth into the GAC Women’s Basketball Championships. They will play one last away game against Southern Nazarene and their final game will be home against Southeastern Oklahoma State University.