By Logan Jones
Assist. Sports Editor
The Ranger basketball team made the drive to Bethany, Oklahoma to take on the nationally ranked Crimson Storm of Southern Nazarene University this past Thursday.
Despite putting up good numbers, Northwestern fell to SNU, 98-60.
The Rangers were first to get on the board with two quick buckets by junior Bryshon Bryant, but the Crimson Storm answered back by going on a 9-0 run.
At the end of the first half, Southern Nazarene had a healthy lead with a score of 47-29.
In the second half, the red and black tried to mount a comeback.
With seven quick points by A.J. Jones and a two-point jumper from Cole Jones, it made the score 53-39.
Unfortunately, the scoring Rangers ran out of gas in the final ten minutes.
The Crimson Storm continued to score, ultimately winning, 98-60.
Ranger standouts include Jack Peck, who earned his first double-double with a team high 14 points and 10 rebounds.
A.J. Jones would finish with 12 points while David Thornton, who made his return to the court following an injury, scored nine of his own.
Northwestern looked to return to their winning ways on Hall of Fame Weekend when they took on the East Central University Tigers within the friendly confines of Percefull Fieldhouse.
However, things did not go according to plan as the Rangers lost, 87-58.
The red and black did not get off to the best start, falling behind 14-0 before getting their first points in the contest.
After the first 20 minutes, the Tigers had a commanding lead at 42-22.
The second half did not fair much better for the Rangers.
ECU continued to drive up the score board while Northwestern struggled to keep up.
With five minutes left in the game, the Rangers trailed by 28 points.
The Tigers went on to win by a landslide, 87-58.
The Northwestern bench proved to be the only bright spot in Saturday’s contests, as it accounted for more than half of the points put up by the Rangers.
Following the loss, Northwestern moved to 3-13 in conference play and 5-17 overall.
The red and black will return to action on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, in a lovely matchup against the Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs in Weatherford.