By RANGER ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT
At 7:30 p.m. on January 19 the Percefull Fieldhouse was vibrating from the excitement of the win the men’s basketball team.
The Rangers beat the Oklahoma Baptist University 96-59.
Cody Halvorson got things rolling as he has been lately with a pair of back-to-back three pointers to start the game. Cody followed that up with a quick steal and dish to Adrian Motley who finished with authority, slamming home a one-handed dunk.
The Rangers jumped out to a 33-9 lead midway through the first half thanks to a 23-0 run, a Bison dry spell that spanned 9 minutes and 26 seconds.
Halvorson impressed in the opening half, going 6-8 from three point land, giving him 18 points in the frame. With just under three minutes remaining in the first half, officials tagged Motley and the Bison’s Cagney Roberson with matching technical fouls.
With a comfortable lead, head coach Shawn Dirden turned to his bench to get some playing time, but with the incredible shooting displayed by number 24, the Percefull faithful roared with a “We want Cody!” chant. The Rangers headed into the break sitting on a 53-22 lead.
Northwestern started hot and stayed hot in the opening half, shooting 57.6 percent from the field, including 72.7 percent from beyond the arc and 87.5 percent from the charity stripe.
On a night that was all about the long-ball for the black and red, Halvorson started the second half the same way he ended the first; burying another trey. Shattering his previous season-high of 15 points, Cody Halvorson finished the evening with 21 points on 7-11 shooting (7-11 3PT)
Redshirt freshman center Hunter Frisby decided he wanted in on the action, hitting a three from well behind the line. Frisby had six points on the night.
Oklahoma Baptist showed life midway through the second half going on a 19-9 run, but it proved to be much too little, far too late. With the lead at 37 with 4:56 to play, Weatherford, Okla. native Brandon Kirk entered the game, making his fourth appearance of the season. The 6’3″ freshman recorded his first career bucket on a slick layup, blowing past two Bison defenders for the finish.
Next the Rangers traveled to Ada on Saturday, and won against Arkansas Tech University.
The Rangers jumped out to an 11-7 lead over Arkansas Tech, hitting three of their first four shots to start the game. Junior Brandon Green was a powerhouse on the glass, pulling down six boards in the frame.
The Rangers took a 51-41 lead into halftime, and the break did nothing to slow them down.
The Rangers started the second half right where they left off. Adrian Motley got his bench fired up when he drove the lane, drawing contact from Tiger big man Ishmael Donzo and sinking the tough layup. With Donzo recording his third personal foul with less than 15 minutes to play, Northwestern saw an opportunity and took advantage. Zachary Dumas took a charge from Donzo just 30 seconds later, giving him a fourth personal foul with plenty of time left.
With 13:13 remaining the Rangers found themselves up 62-46, showing that they can play with the GAC’s elite. Cody Halvorson recorded another 19 in this one. Halvorson knocked down a three-pointer to give the Rangers a 17 point lead.
The Tigers defensive leader fouled out of the game with four minutes remaining, but not before dropping 17 points and nine rebounds. An 11-4 run gave life to both the home team and their fans, cutting the Northwestern lead to just eight with 3:00 to play. Just when it looked like the Tigers were gaining momentum, Halvorson launched a three, quieting the crowd and restoring an 11 point Ranger lead.
Leading scorer Motley had another fantastic afternoon, posting 16 points, 13 rebounds. Green finished with 11 points and two steals, and Trey Johnson was 5-5 from the field for 14 points.
After the Rangers first win in Ada in four years, coach Dirden was all positive. “It felt good to close out a half” Dirden said. “We closed out possessions, and we really needed that. Number one thing coming into somebody else’s house is that we have to score down the stretch, and we were able to do that tonight. Hopefully we can keep the momentum going.”