By CADE KENNEDY, Sports Editor
The Northwestern women’s basketball team finished the season with a 15-14 record, making it the team’s first winning season since the 1999-2000 season.
Despite the winning record, the Lady Rangers met a familiar fate, as they lost to the Lady Bisons of Harding, 67-50, Friday at the Great American Conference tournament in Shawnee.
The Lady Rangers entered the tournament with the sixth seed in the conference, which is the highest position they have had since the 2014-2015 season.
Harding set the tone for the game on its first possession, as Jordan Elder hit a 3-pointer to establish an early lead.
The Lady Bisons continued to build upon the lead, as the Lady Rangers found themselves in a seven-point hole with two minutes left in the first quarter. The Lady Rangers attempted to rally but still trailed at the end of the first quarter, 21-17.
The second quarter had a similar pace to the first, as both teams traded baskets to keep the Harding lead between three and six. The Lady Rangers slashed the deficit to three points at halftime, as Carly Craig quickly found Kinsey Neiderer for a three that gave Northwestern a shot of momentum before the second half.
The Lady Rangers looked to ride the wave of momentum into the third quarter, but the Lady Bison defense had other plans.
Scoring was not an option for the Lady Rangers, as the Lady Bison outscored the Lady Rangers, 15-0. The Lady Rangers’ deficit had piled up, as they trailed 53-35.
The scoring drought continued into the fourth quarter for Northwestern, but that changed when Bailey Brown made a layup with 9:03 left in the game to cut the lead to 16.
The rest of the quarter was similar to the first half, as both teams continued to trade scores. When the final buzzer sounded, the Lady Bisons walked off the court with a 67-50 win.
Despite the season being over, several members received awards for their performance. Brown earned first team all-conference, while Scout Frame is on the all-conference second team.
Brown averaged 18.6 points per game and put up 8.1 rebounds per game. She became the first Lady Ranger to reach 1,000 career rebounds. She finished her career with 1,911 points, making her the fourth-highest scorer in Lady Ranger history.
