ALVA, Okla. – Despite leading for less than five minutes of total game time, the #20-ranked SWOSU Lady Bulldogs came away with an 88-82 rivalry victory over Northwestern Oklahoma State on Monday night at Percefull Fieldhouse in Alva.
 
Northwestern's upset bid was led by Scout Frame and Bailey Brown, who combined for 61 points and 26 rebounds and helped their team build a 49-37 lead less than two minutes into the second half. SWOSU would go on a 10-0 run to make it a two-point game, but they were unable to take a second-half lead until Lauren Ramey buried a three-pointer with 4:10 to play, making it 71-69.
 
The final four minutes of the game saw four ties and three lead changes, the final after Taber Beer launched a pass the length of the court to Karly Gore, who converted a lay-in to make it 79-77 with 1:32 to play. Following a defensive stop, SWOSU's Macy Gore hit the shot of the night, a three-pointer from the right wing off a feed from Ramey that put the Lady Dawgs up 82-77 with 40.9 seconds to play. After that basket, SWOSU led by at least four points the rest of the game.
 
SWOSU was led by Macy Gore, who totaled a team-high 19 points to go along with three rebounds, four assists and two steals while her twin sister Karly Gore added 18 points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal. Makyra Tramble had a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds in addition to a team-high five assists and Lauren Ramey chipped in 15 points in 31 minutes of action. Taber Beer and Maddy North had nine points apiece and Maddie Sperle had seven points off the bench.
 
"We didn't play well in the first half tonight, but it's been a very long, emotional day for these girls," SWOSU Head Coach Kelsi Musick remarked following the game. "One thing about this team is they are gritty and they battle. It wasn't our prettiest performance, but we had different players step up throughout the course of the game and make key plays and that's why we were able to persevere when it mattered the most."
 
The GAC's Western Division champions will play their final home game of the season on Thursday night, hosting Southern Nazarene for Senior Night at the Pioneer Cellular Event Center.