Men’s and Women’s basketball split with Rangers

By Michael Stewart, Assistant Sports Editor  (Photo by Preston Morris/The Bison)

The Oklahoma Baptist men’s and women’s basketball teams hit the floor Thursday evening for a matchup against the Rangers of Northwestern Oklahoma State University. OBU went one and one overall the night against the Rangers as the Lady Bison secured a solid 98 – 89 win and the Bison were barely edged out in a 75-76 loss. Heading into their matchup, the Lady Bison had a difficult contest ahead.

“We were expecting a tough game against a good team,” junior Alexa Richards said. “Both of us are competing for a spot in the post-season.”

Knowing they had a tough night ahead of them, the Lady Bison came ready to battle. After getting off to a slow start and falling behind by double digits in the second quarter, the Lady Bison stormed back in the second half. They were able to post 55 points to the Rangers 36 points, capturing the win.

“We never gave up,” Richards said. “We kept fighting until the end.”

In their contest, the Lady Bison had six players score in double figures. The team shot the ball efficiently, shooting an overall 50 percent from the field, 45 percent from the three-point line, and 80 percent from the free throw line.

“The team really came together when it mattered,” Richards said. “Everyone stepped up and made big things happen.”

With their win, the Lady Bison moved to 8-10 overall in the GAC standings, keeping them within striking distance of the #4 seed for the post-season.

The men’s basketball team, however, just fell short against NWOSU. The game saw multiple crunch time plays including a three-pointer from senior Vladimir Nemcok; however, the Rangers came back as they were able to counter Nemcok’s three-pointer with the game-winning layup.

“Despite the loss, I think the team’s performance had a lot of positives,” junior Spencer Lindsey said. “NWOSU is ranked number two in the conference, so we were expecting a battle.”

The Bison were led by senior Chandler Rickey, who ended with 26 points, and Nemcok, who added 14 points.

“We were expecting to win,” Lindsey said. “I thought we played with a lot of energy and fought the full 40 minutes.”

The loss pushes the Bison to 6-12 in the GAC standings and makes the road to the post-season a tougher one. The Lady Bison and Bison return to action in Durant, Oklahoma Saturday, February 17 against Southeastern Oklahoma State.