By RANGERS ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT
The Rangers travelled to Weatherford for a much-anticipated showdown with Southwestern Oklahoma State. Despite leading by as many as 12 in the second half, Northwestern was downed by a final of 73-67.
It was Rivalry Night in the Great American Conference and the Rangers rolled into the Pioneer Cellular Event Center riding a three game winning streak.
Northwestern got off to a hot start, jumping out to a 10-2 lead over the schools most bitter rivals. With Southwestern in the midst of a six-game skid, the Rangers were looking to improve their chances of making the conference tournament with this late-season push.
Texas native Adrian Motley, who jacked up a season-high five 3-pointers in Saturdays win at Southern Nazarene, picked up right where he left off dropping two treys in the first four minutes of play.
Entering play, junior guard Brandon Green was ranked 16thin the nation in assists this season, averaging 6.4 helpers per game. Green wasted no time showing displaying his craft, helping his team go on a 10-2 run to make it a 28-18 ballgame in favor of Northwestern with five to play in the opening frame.
Despite being a perennial contender in the GAC, the Bulldogs have struggled to make much of anything happen this season. But the standings don’t do much to tame this storied rivalry. Since rejoining the same conference in the 2012-13 season, Northwestern enjoys a 6-3 advantage in the series.
The Rangers held an eleven point lead with under four minutes remaining in the half, but a persistent SWOSU team cut the lead to seven at halftime. Northwestern shot just 37.1 percent on 13-for-35 shooting from the field and 53.8 percent from the line in the first half. Motley led all scorers in the frame with 10 of his 20 points coming in the first half. Coach Shawn Dirden and his staff’s focus was to shutdown Southwestern standout Markeise Champion, the 6’0 guard out of Menlo Park, California. They were able to do just that in the first half, holding the Bulldogs best shooter to just five points in the period.
Northwestern dominated the offensive boards in the first half, in part thanks to junior college transfer Trey Johnson and his physical presence.
Northwestern came out of the break strong, and a Cody Halvorson 3-pointer pushed the visitors lead to twelve. But the Bulldogs weren’t about to roll over.
A 10-0 run led by a determined Markeise Champion helped pull SWOSU to within two at the midway point of the second half. A Devin Pugh three tied the game up at 54-54, giving the relatively small crowd some life. Pugh hit his next shot to give the Bulldogs their first lead of the game. Pugh finished with a game high 23 points.
Fatigue appeared to set in for both squads in the late stages of the second half, with both teams playing their third game in the past five days.
The Rangers regained the lead when Motley hit a 15 footer with 6:57 remaining. Both teams began to slow the game down and pick their shots more carefully as both teams could feel the game tightening up. Northwestern got their first opportunity to build a lead at the 4:21 mark where Greg Minor Jr. sunk two free throws to bring the score to 62-59 in favor of the black-and-red.
Southwestern answered with a jump shot late in the possession, followed up with an air ball from Halvorson that moved the ball back into the hands of the Bulldogs down 62-61 with 3:36 remaining. A nice step-back three pointer from guard Markeise Champion gave the Bulldogs a 64-62 lead with just two minutes remaining in the game. Another improbable three from Champion in his final game against the Rangers moved the score to 67-62. A botched possession from
Northwestern forced them to tighten up the defense leading to a suspect foul call that allowed Champion to put two more points on the board. Champion scored 12 points in the second half including eight in the final two minutes of the contest.
Northwestern refocused and began to mount their comeback attempt with two key offensive rebounds that led to a foul on Motley. Motley hit both free throws to bring the score to 69-63. A full court press from the Rangers forced a bad inbound pass that gave Northwestern possession on the Bulldogs side of the court with 40 seconds remaining.
A deep three from Motley rattled off the glass and landed in the arms of Martin, who finished up the play with a lay-up to bring the Bulldog lead to just four points with 25 seconds remaining. A forced foul on Champion allowed him to hit the two clutch free throws with 20 seconds remaining. A late driving prayer from Trey Johnson couldn’t find the mark, essentially shutting down any hope of a Ranger road win. Two more Bulldog free throws sealed the Rangers fate with 10 seconds left.
The Rangers will take a much needed break before returning to Percefull Fieldhouse for a Thursday night battle with East Central University. That game is set for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.