By MEGAN MAHARRY
Assistant Sports Editor
The Ranger men’s basketball team went 2-for1 last week against opponents Southern Nazarene University, Oklahoma Baptist University and rival Southwestern Oklahoma State University.
On the road against Southern Nazarene, the men’s three game win streak snapped by a loss of 82-73 at the hands of the Crimson Storm.
Ranked No. 1 in the GAC standings, Southern Nazarene proved tough for the Ranger men.
Sothern Nazarene shot 54.8 percent from the field and built a game-high 21 point lead in the first half of the game.
The Rangers went on a 12-3 run to late in the second half to cut the lead to only six.
With five minutes left, the Rangers were unable to pull ahead despite 10 points from seniors Cedric Collinge and Brandon Green, and 11 points from senior Greg Minor Jr.
The Rangers turned around to face Oklahoma Baptist University at home on Saturday and came out with the 79-73 win.
The game was a back and forth battle.
The Rangers held OBU to only 35 percent shooting from the field. The Ranger men also outrebounding their opponent 43-40.
OBU’s most dangerous scorers, Chandler Rickey, has been averaging around 20 points a game, but the Rangers were not intimidated by Rickey. They Rangers held Rickey to just four points in the first half.
The game was tied briefly in the second half before the Ranger men went on a 13-4 run to pull ahead and effectively shut the OBU defense down.
Senior Cody Halverson and junior Treyvon Andres both recorded 14 points on the night.
Senior Cedric Collinge also contributed to the win with 11 points.
The sealed their second victory when they traveled to SWOSU and took down the bulldogs 84-82.
After taking a large lead, the Rangers went cold, allowing SWOSU the advantage to bring the score within three.
The game was tied with only 22 seconds left, but two free throws made for the Rangers clenched the win.
The Rangers are now 13-3 overall and 7-2 in conference play, making them second ranked in the conference. The men next face Southeastern Oklahoma State University at home.
