By OAKLEE FIELDER
Sports Editor
The NWOSU Women’s basketball team had two games this week at home, one against Harding University and one against Ouachita Baptist University.
HEN 45-NWOSU 81
In the opening quarter, the Lady Rangers opened up a can in the first four minutes. They had the lead 0-12 with over half the quarter left to play. The Lady Rangers kept that lead high with a three-pointer by Lily Mahy and a layup by Camille Thomas, the quarter ended with a fourteen-point difference 9-23.
In the second quarter, the Lady Rangers kept the scoring going. They opened with two three pointers by Camille Thomas and Payton Jones.
With their lead up by eighteen, they did not stop piling on the points. They kept their foot down and got their lead up to twenty, but they didn’t stop there.
They got their lead up to twenty-seven with a minute left in the first half. The second quarter ended 22-44.
In the third quarter, the Lady Rangers seemed to have no mercy upon the Reddies. With three pointers, jumpers, free throws, and layups everywhere you looked for NWOSU, they extended their lead to over thirty with four minutes left in the quarter. The quarter ended with a thirty-one-point lead for the Lady Rangers with a score of 38-69. Going into the fourth quarter, there was no question to how the quarter was going to go and the game was going to end. The Rangers scored ten straight points without answer from the Reddies. The fourth quarter was by far the least scoring quarter in the game, as the Reddies did not score until there was two and a half minutes left in the game. The end of the game seemed to be mercy for the Reddies, as they lost by thirty-six points. The Rangers won the game 45-81. It would be nice to say the next game against Ouachita Baptist was as easy for the Lady Rangers but that was not the case.
OCH 60-NWOSU 66
The game opened up with a foul against NWOSU and the lead got to three for the Tigers. The Lady Rangers fought back and tied it at six. The two teams went back and forth and the game was tied at twelve. Carly Craig broke the tie with two minutes left and the quarter ended 12-14 for NWOSU. The same story of back and forth opened the second quarter. It was a close start to the quarter, until the Tigers took and extended the lead. With two minutes left in the half, the lead for the Tigers was up to nine.
Payton Jones shot a three pointer to shrink the lead to a two-score game.
In the opening minutes of the second half, the Lady Rangers reeled the Tigers into a one-point difference. The game continued the back-and-forth narrative until the Lady Rangers took the lead with a minute left in the quarter. With a three pointer, the Tigers topk the lead right back. The fourth and final quarter opened with the Lady Rangers taking the lead and extending it to five.
The Tiger fought right back and shrunk it to three. They went back and forth once again and with one and a half minutes left, the game was tied at fifty-seven.
Payton Jones proceeded to score nine points in the final minutes of the game for NWOSU, although the Tigers attempted to stop her, they could not.
The game ended with a NWOSU win 60-66.
The Lady Rangers now sit at fifth in the GAC conference with a record of 9-7. Since the end of winter break, they have not lost a home game.
