ALVA, Okla. – The offense never found enough rhythm to keep up with the Lady Rangers, as SWOSU put up just 36 points in a 53-56 loss on Thursday.

The lid was on the basket for the Lady Bulldogs in the first half, going down 27-11, shooting just 5-36 (13.9%) and 0-17 from the deep ball in the opening 20 minutes. The three points in the first quarter and 11 points in the half are both the lowest marks in any game this season for SWOSU. Five players grabbed four or more rebounds in the half, led by Chloe Cantrell with six. The Lady Dawgs grabbed 14 offensive rebounds, which marked the highest mark of any full game this year in just the first half.

SWOSU came into the third quarter trying to find an offensive rhythm. After two Layni Zinn three-point makes and a jumper by Mason Jones cut the deficit to just 10 points at 29-19, the momentum shifted slightly; however, Northwestern responded with a 10-0 run to close out the final five minutes, bringing the lead up to 20 points at 39-19. The fourth quarter saw the Lady Dawgs make some improvement and win the quarter 17-14, but it was too little, too late. SWOSU shot 2-24 (8.3%) from beyond the arc.

The last time SWOSU scored under 40 points in a game was January 22, 2015, also against Northwestern.

Layni Zinn tallied a team-high nine points with the only three-point shots made for the Lady Bulldogs. Sincere Jackson had a season high in points (7) and rebounds (6).

SWOSU (9-8, 5-6 GAC) will look to bounce back on Saturday when they travel to Shawnee to face Oklahoma Baptist at 5:30 pm.