MAGNOLIA, Ark. – As March nears, the only thing that makes sense is madness as the Muleriders (12-13 | 7-12) matched up with the Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers (13-12 | 10-9) in a battle to the very end. NWOSU escaped the W.T. Watson Center as victors after a narrow 67-72 final score.
 
Southern Arkansas began the contest off hot with a quick 7-1 advantage just three minutes into the contest. A three-pointer from Northwestern Oklahoma changed the tide for the Rangers though as they eventually brought it back within two points at 11-9. The Blue and Gold would once again separate themselves from NWOSU with a seven-point lead, up 18-11, with just under a minute to in the first period. After a pair of made free throws by the Rangers, Southern Arkansas' Tequaza Chambers quickly responded with a shot from deep for the eight-point advantage going into the second quarter.
 
If the tide had not changed before, it completely flipped in the second period as the Rangers would go on to outscore the Muleriders 22-8 in the quarter as NWOSU gained the lead and ended the period on a 12-3 run to go into intermission up 35-29.
 
Into the second half, the Rangers seemed to have now gained total control of the contest as the group extended their lead to 13 (50-37 | 3:13) in the third period and went into the final quarter of action up 11, 56-45.
 
While the visitors would keep a solid grip on their advantage, the Muleriders did in fact close the gap in the fourth period as SAU brought the game back within two points with just over a minute left, 64-62. The Rangers would then go on to record an 8-5 run to finalize the contest at 72-67.
 
Top Performers:
Qua Chambers: 27 points (led game), two steals (tied team lead), two assists, and two rebounds
Elena Lijo-Rodriguez: 18 points, nine rebounds (led game), and one block (tied team lead)
Crystal Ortiz: seven rebounds and four points
 
Next Up:
The women will remain at home for their next contest as they prepare for a rematch with Southwestern Oklahoma State University on Sunday, February 23rd at 1:00 PM inside the W.T. Watson Athletic Center.