Halvorson and company shine in 96-59 win over OBU
January 22, 2017
ALVA – The Rangers got off to a hot start Thursday night, relying on hustle and their ability to shoot the long-ball to dismantle Oklahoma Baptist 96-59 for their third win in four games.
The Bison came into Percefull Fieldhouse riding a five game winless streak, playing without three key players in Steven Green, Vladamir Nemcok and Marko Zelic. Entering tonight, OBU's Chandler Rickey was first in the Great American Conference in both field goal percentage (65.8 percent) and blocked shots per game (2.8 blocks/game).
Cody Halvorson got things rolling as he has been lately with a pair of back-to-back three pointers to start the game. Cody followed that up with a quick steal and dish to Adrian Motley who finished with authority, slamming home a one-handed dunk.
The Rangers jumped out to a 33-9 lead midway through the first half thanks to a 23-0 run, a Bison dry spell that spanned 9 minutes and 26 seconds.
Halvorson impressed in the opening half, going 6-8 from three point land, giving him 18 points in the frame. With just under three minutes remaining in the first half, officials tagged Motley and the Bison's Cagney Roberson with matching technical fouls.
With a comfortable lead, head coach Shawn Dirden turned to his bench to get some playing time, but with the incredible shooting displayed by No. 24, the Percefull faithful roared with a “We want Cody!” chant. The Rangers headed into the break sitting on a 53-22 lead.
Northwestern started hot and stayed hot in the opening half, shooting 57.6 percent from the field, including 72.7 percent from beyond the arc and 87.5 percent from the charity stripe.
On a night that was all about the long-ball for the Black and Red, Halvorson started the second half the same way he ended the first; burying another trey. Shattering his previous season-high of 15 points, Cody Halvorson finished the evening with 21 points on 7-11 shooting (7-11 3PT).
Redshirt freshman center Hunter Frisby decided he wanted in on the action, hitting a three from well behind the line. Frisby had six points on the night.
Oklahoma Baptist showed life midway through the second half going on a 19-9 run, but it proved to be much too little, far too late. With the lead at 37 with 4:56 to play, Weatherford native Brandon Kirk entered the game, making his fourth appearance of the season. The 6-foot-3 freshman recorded his first career bucket on a slick layup, blowing past two Bison defenders for the finish.
The Rangers improve to 7-8 (3-7 GAC) after tonight's contest, including 5-2 in the friendly confines of Percefull Fieldhouse.
Up Next
Northwestern will make the trip down to Ada Saturday, Jan. 21, for a 3 p.m. match-up with East Central University (12-4, 8-2 GAC). East Central is currently on a red-hot streak, winning their previous 12 games.
Reader Comments(0)