By Megan Maharry
Sports Editor
The Lady Ranger basketball team was victorious in clenching the Great American conference spot after their 74-54 win over Henderson State on Saturday.
Prior to Saturday’s win, the Lady Rangers took down Ouachita Baptist 71-60 on Thursday.
Bailey Brown continued to impress with her performance. The sophomore finished the game with 17 points and her sixth double-double—her third in four games.
Kalea King also recorded seven points on the night, and is now ninth all-time in points at Northwestern.
McKenzie Billy made four three-pointers to finish the game with 12 points.
The Lady Rangers trailed by one point going into the second half. They refused to stay behind for long, however.
The Lady Rangers went on a 14-2 run in the third quarter and never lost the lead from there. They came away with the 71-60 win.
The Lady Rangers turned around Saturday afternoon to take on Henderson State.
With a 74-54 win, the ladies secure their first ever Great American Conference tournament appearance.
Saturday also honored for Lady Ranger seniors, who took the home court for the last time: Jade Jones, McKenzie Billy, Bailey Forell and Deja Beechum.
The Lady Rangers controlled nearly the entire game and were solid in shooting, ending with a 52.4 percent of shots made.
Sophomore Bailey Brown continued to dominate on the court, recording a career high 28 points. It was also the most points scored by a Lady Ranger this season. She was a perfect 11-for11 from the free-throw line.
According to the statistics from the athletic department, Brown tied Kim Gerber (12/1/1997) and Deanna Braley (2/15/2000) for the second most free-throws made with a perfect percentage in a game. Margo (Dobson)
Hamilton is tops in school history with 17 attempts in 1997.
Jones ended the night with 14 points and Billy ended her senior career with a career high nine rebounds.
The Lady Rangers have two final games left in their regular season. On Feb. 28 they take on Arkansas Tech University in Arkansas before facing Harding on March 2.
The Great American Conference tournament begins March 6 in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.