ALVA, Okla. – Oklahoma Baptist won for the fourth straight time as it defeated Northwestern Oklahoma State 63-54 on Thursday night in Great American Conference play at Percefull Fieldhouse.
The Bison's (4-2, 1-0 GAC) streak marks the first time since the 2015-16 season that they won at least four. Between Feb. 13-25, 2016, OBU notched five straight.
Kalifa Ford led the way with 15 points and 11 rebounds, five of which came on the offensive end.
Mallory Lockhart added 14 points including hitting 4-of-9 from deep while
Jaylin Stapleton registered 10 points.
First-quarter action saw OBU squander some offensive possessions early which allowed the Rangers to go ahead. At the 4:11 mark, an and-one by Bailey Brown had the hosts up 13-4 as the Bison missed their first eight attempts. Despite the slow start, OBU bounced back, scoring six consecutive and trailed 13-10.
In the second, the green and gold doubled up Northwestern on the offensive end. They tallied six makes while the Rangers connected with three. Two of those shots, a Stapleton layup and a
Kayla Highfill three-ball from the left wing pushed OBU ahead 23-18. By half, the Bison led by three.
More than six minutes into the third, the Bison pulled ahead for good. Up by two, 33-31, Lockhart scored five straight to ignite a 10-2 stretch. Lockhart added another three, this one from the right, to extend the advantage to ten, 46-36.
That strong finish in the third expanded into the fourth.
Kendall Parker ballooned the lead with a fast-break, and-one layup at 7:31 to move the scoreboard to 55:40. For Parker, a freshman, she tallied eight points off the bench.
Next on the schedule for OBU is a trip to Southwestern Oklahoma State on Saturday.
