ALVA, Okla. - Southern Nazarene Women's Basketball fought hard in their third conference game of the season, but the Lady Rangers of Northwestern Oklahoma State held on for a 55-50 win in Alva, Oklahoma.

The first quarter saw the Lady Rangers (5-4 , 2-1 GAC) take control early, building a 16-9 lead. SNU (5-4 , 2-1 GAC) got on the board with a layup from Jordan Hoffman in the paint, followed by another layup from Umi Otsuka. Hannah Giddey added to the scoring with a shot, but NWOSU's Camille Thomas and Kennedy Hight kept the pressure on with a pair of layups and a tip in.

The second quarter was a tough stretch for the Crimson Storm, as Northwestern Oklahoma State's defense held strong, holding SNU to just one basket, a layup from Braci Nyberg. Meanwhile, the Lady Rangers extended their lead with back to back baskets from Thomas, Payton Jones, and Carly Craig. By halftime, SNU trailed the Lady Rangers 33-13. 

SNU came out strong in the third quarter, bringing some energy. Hoffman got things rolling with a layup, and Jena Bay kept it going with another layup and a big three pointer. Katie King joined in with a deep three, and Umi Otsuka added a jumper to keep the momentum up. NWOSU answered back with shots from Kennedy Hight and Kira Bass to hold their lead at 45-29 going into the fourth.

King kicked off the fourth quarter with a three pointer, while Otsuka kept the momentum going once again with two layups to help close the gap. Nyberg added another basket in the paint, and Hoffman knocked down a key three pointer to pull the Storm even closer.  NWOSU held their ground, with Hight sinking two free throws in the closing minutes to secure the 50-55 Lady Rangers win.

Next Up
The Crimson Storm will take on Southwestern Oklahoma State University Saturday, December 14th at 1:00 pm in the Sawyer Center.