Last week the NWOSU Rangers Men’s Basketball team had two away games in Arkansas. One against Southern Arkansas University and the other at the University of Arkansas at Monticello.
NWOSU 65-SAU 79
Their first game was against the Southern Arkansas Muleriders on February 21.
As soon as the game started and the ball was tipped, the Muleriders had their foot on the gas. Within three minutes, NWOSU was down 1-12, their only point being a free throw from Cam McDowell.
The next couple of minutes went as the two teams went back and forth, with the score difference getting smaller and larger.
The Rangers were able to get the Muleriders’ lead down to five, but Southern Arkansas shot right back up to a large difference, having the lead by thirteen with half of the first half gone.
The Rangers were able to keep up with Southern Arkansas, even getting in touching distance of tying the game, but the Muleriders would always find a way to get their large lead back.
In the final three minutes of the first half, the Rangers were able to shrink Southern Arkansas’ lead from sixteen to just five by the end of the half, with three three-pointers to finish off the half.
Two for Justin Norris and one for Daraun Clark.
The second half started with the Rangers shrinking the lead to just two.
The Muleriders increased their lead to five, but the Rangers didn’t quit. They shrunk the lead to three, then McDowell shot two free throws to make the difference one.
With sixteen minutes left in the second half, McDowell hit a field goal to allow the Rangers to take the lead for the first time in the game by one point.
The two teams went back and forth, with the score being very close for the middle portion of the second half.
With seven minutes to go, the Muleriders were able to get the upper hand on the Rangers and got far into the lead. Being down by nine, Liam Canty got a layup and Daraun Clark shot a three pointer in an attempt to get back into the game. Southern Arkansas responded with a nine-point run to increase their lead to fifteen with just two minutes left in the game. Rangers gave an attempt with a three pointer by Dirin Birhiray, but the Muleriders stalled them out there. The game ended 65-79 with a Ranger loss.
NWOSU 73-ARM 69
After a loss against Southern Arkansas, the Rangers traveled to Monticello, Arkansas to play against the University of Arkansas at Monticello Boll Weevils.
The game started with the two teams trading layups, Miley Hawkins then made two free throws to make the score 4-2 for the Rangers.
The Weevils responded and tied it again and then took the lead by two.
The Rangers came back at them with three straight free throws, one from Hawkins and two from McDowell. McDowell then made two free throws to extend the Rangers’ lead to six over the Weevils. They continued their momentum and increased their lead to twelve by the midpoint of the half.
With six minutes left in the half, the Weevils flipped the momentum and started taking bites out of the Rangers’ lead.
With four minutes left, the Weevils were able to cut the lead down to four.
With a three pointer it was down to one with three minutes on the clock. Logan Phillips responded with a three pointer and brought it back to a four-point game.
Phillips, with the help of McDowell, increased the Rangers’ lead to eight with forty-two second left in the half. A field goal from Monticello brought it down to six. This was the first time since the home game against Henderson State on February 6 that the Rangers were in the lead at the end of the first half.
The second half started with a layup from McDowell. The Weevils fought back with a field goal, but McDowell responded with a three pointer to make the lead nine. After two three pointers by Daraun Clark, the lead was fifteen for the Rangers.
The Weevils responded and shrunk the Rangers’ lead right back down to seven. A free throw by McDowell and a field goal by Miley Hawkins made the lead ten.
The two teams traded free throws, layups, three pointers, and field goals for a couple of minutes.
Then, the Weevils took the Rangers’ lead and crushed it down to just one point with just two minutes left in the game.
The two teams fought hard for the win in the final minutes of the game, but with just one second left, McDowell made two free throws in the final second of the game to seal the win against the Boll Weevils.
This week will be the end of the regular season for basketball. The Rangers travel to Bethany to play against the Southern Nazarene University Storm on the 27.
This Saturday, March 1 at 3p.m., the Rangers will play the final game of the regular season at home against the Southeastern Oklahoma State University Savage Storm.
The Rangers sit seventh in the GAC standings. They have not yet clinched a birth into the GAC Championships, but winning the two final games will seal a birth into the championship.