WEATHERFORD, Okla. – Northwestern Oklahoma State came to Weatherford on Monday night and left with another tally in the loss column after SWOSU defeated them 77-60. The Lady Bulldogs picked up a huge rivalry win with a rowdy crowd looking on inside the Pioneer Cellular Event Center. It was a defensive clinic tonight for SWOSU, causing havoc everywhere on the court for NWOSU.
Northwestern consistently got the ball down low on offense and SWOSU consistently contested the paint touches. Whether it was forcing them to miss layups or forcing jump balls in the post, SWOSU played solid defense near the basket all night. They also caused pressure on the perimeter, forcing 18 Lady Ranger turnovers for the game.
SWOSU improves to 6-10 on the year and 6-5 in the GAC, the first time they are above .500 in conference play this year. This win is their third in a row, the longest winning streak of the season. They look to continue it on Thursday against Arkansas Tech at 5:30 pm.
SWOSU came out on fire on both ends, leading as much as 14-4 in the first before NWOSU went on a run of their own to tie it up at the end of the first. The second quarter was where SWOSU broke away. They held Northwestern to just 31% shooting and forced six turnovers in the second period. This helped them go into the break up 15 points.
Northwestern didn't go away, but they didn't have enough to overcome the almost 20-point deficit. SWOSU had a poor shooting third quarter which gave Northwestern a bit of hope after outscoring the Lady Dawgs 18-13 in the third.
The lead dwindled to six points early in the fourth and with NWOSU gaining momentum, the game looked like it was in for a close finish. SWOSU did not let that happen as they went on a 21-10 run over the last seven minutes to stifle the comeback attempt. Shooting 4-6 from the three-point line in the fourth quarter, one more than the Lady Rangers made all game, fueled the late game push.
Shamica Smith was a beast in the paint tonight, leading the team in scoring with 16 points to go along with 10 rebounds. This is her third double-double of the season and second in three games.
Averi Zinn was excellent on both sides of the ball, scoring 15 points, dishing out seven assists, and collecting four steals.
Adysen Wilson was a key contributor off of the bench, shooting 4-5 from three and scoring 14 points.
SWOSU ended the game at 41.4% from the field and 45.5% from three. Northwestern shot 42.6% from the field and 30% from beyond the arc. SWOSU was dominant for a majority of this one, holding the lead for 37:20 compared to just 16 seconds for the Lady Rangers.
