The Rangers (15-14) came into Friday 0-4 all-time in GAC Championship play. Three of four losses came by five points or less. Against the third-seeded Bison (20-9), the Rangers led for all but 27 seconds of the first three quarters of play. A scoring drought of almost eight minutes allowed the Bison to take a 46-45 lead with 1:09 remaining on a Mackenzie Crusoe 3-pointer. Down three in the waning seconds of regulation, Northwestern’s Carly Craig connected on a tying 3-pointer to force the first overtime.
The Rangers held a three-point advantage late in the first overtime, but Jill Leslie made three free throws with 22.9 seconds left to level the contest. Consecutive turnovers resulted in the first double-overtime game at the GAC Championships since 2019.
In the second extra session, Craig hit a clutch 3-pointer and Jaida Shipp put the Rangers in front for good with a layup. They converted all four free throws in the final minute to secure the win.
Craig and Payton Jones played all 50 minutes. Craig finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Jones led the team with 19 points. She added nine rebounds. Shipp scored 17 in 15 minutes of action. Kira Bass added 10 points and nine rebounds.
Crusoe scored a team-high 17 points for Oklahoma Baptist before fouling out. Leslie tallied 15 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks. Jaedyn Getman also scored 15 points. She grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.
The win earns Northwestern Oklahoma State a meeting with second-seeded Harding at 2:15 p.m. on Saturday. The Rangers and Lady Bisons split their two regular-season meetings. Each won on the other’s home floor.
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