SHAWNEE – After building a 19-point lead going into halftime, Oklahoma Baptist (4-3, 1-0 GAC) fought off a determined Northwestern Oklahoma State (4-2, 0-1 GAC) squad in the second half to claim a 64-60 conference-opening victory on Thursday night.
The Bison were the better team in the first half, as they shot 55.2 percent from the floor and held the Rangers to a 26.9 percent shooting clip. OBU forced 11 turnovers and significantly won the bench battle, outscoring the NWOSU reserves 19-9.
In the second half, Northwestern fought back to even the stat sheet, finishing at 45.5 percent on the night. This season, the Rangers joined a shortlist of teams to outbound the Bison, holding a 33-30 advantage over the green and gold tonight.
The Rangers built an early lead in the first half, 9-5, and never eclipsed the Bison again. Oklahoma Baptist found their rhythm and went on a 27-7 run to end the inaugural. NWOSU went ice cold for over 12 minutes during the run, while OBU scored 11 field goals. Senior guard Burke Putnam led his squad with eight points while Nigel Wilcox tallied seven.
Northwestern came out with their hair on fire to shoot 62 percent from the floor in the concluding half. The Rangers opened the half on a 13-3 run, hitting 6-of-8 shots. The teams battled for the next seven minutes, scoring nine points apiece to have NWOSU trail by 10, 50-40.
Northwestern made the contest really interesting under the 1:00 minute mark. NWOSU put in a three to trail by one with 41 seconds left to play, 59-58. After a Jaquan Simms made a free throw, the Bison led 62-58, but the Rangers hurried down the court to bring the game within two.
This wasn't enough, as Oklahoma Baptist made good on two more from the charity stripe to earn their first conference win of the season.
Putnam reached 20 points for the fifth time this season, including nine made free-throws. He also brought down eight rebounds and collected a steal. Jordan Thompson re-entered the OBU rotation to put up 11 points, including two triples, and a couple of assists.
Nigel Wilcox grabbed four boards en route to a 10 point performance while Justin Tene score with six. D.J. Freeman went 4-for-6 from the floor, scoring eight, and recorded two steals. Another notable was Jaquan Simms, who tallied nine points, two steals, and two assists.
Oklahoma Baptist will wrap up their six-game road tour on Saturday at Southwestern Oklahoma State (1-4, 0-4 GAC). Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. in Weatherford.
