SHAWNEE -- Oklahoma Baptist used a dominant first half and balanced scoring to hold off Northwestern Oklahoma State, earning an 85–77 Great American Conference victory Saturday night at the Noble Complex. The win pushed the Bison to 10–2 overall and 4–2 in league play, while the Rangers fell to 5–7 (2–4 GAC).
The Bison set the tone early, shooting 56.7 percent from the field in the opening half and building a 51–34 advantage at the break. Oklahoma Baptist consistently attacked the paint and capitalized at the free-throw line, converting 14-of-19 attempts in the first 20 minutes. Northwestern struggled to keep pace offensively early, despite hanging around behind timely baskets and transition opportunities.
Northwestern responded after halftime, outscoring the Bison 43–34 in the second half and cutting the deficit to as few as five points late. Max Alexander led all scorers with 22 points on 10-of-10 free-throw shooting, while Keyondre Young added 17 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Kenny Burns III chipped in 12 points off the bench, helping spark the Rangers' comeback effort.
The green and gold answered each surge with timely execution.
Seth Grandberry led the Bison with 15 points, including key baskets down the stretch, while
Terry Coner Jr. and
Joshua Udoumoh each scored 14. Udoumoh also controlled the glass with six rebounds, and the Bison bench made a major impact, outscoring Northwestern's reserves 36–16.
Despite being outshot in the second half, Oklahoma Baptist finished the night at 46.6 percent from the field and went 24-of-31 at the foul line to seal the win. Northwestern finished at 42.9 percent shooting but couldn't overcome the early deficit.
OBU returns to action on Jan. 8 at 7:30 p.m. against Arkansas Tech.
