Alva Review-Courier -

ADA, Okla. – The Northwestern Oklahoma State men's basketball team earned their 20th victory of the season on Friday night with a 67-63 victory over East Central.

Along with securing the most wins in a single season since the 2010-11 season, the Rangers locked up the second seed in the Great American Conference Postseason Tournament. Northwestern trailed by as many as 14 points midway through the second half, but used a 21-11 run in the final ten minutes of the ballgame to come away with the victory.

The Ranger defense stepped up late in the second half, forcing the Tigers into committing seven turnovers in the final five minutes and was able to slow down an East Central offense that jumped out to a 34-28 lead during the first half. Senior Brandon Green continued his stellar stretch of play and led the Rangers with 23 points on the night, including 11-of-14 makes from the free-throw line.

Junior Treyvon Andres recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds while Greg Minor Jr. chipped in eight points of his own.

Both teams hit just seven baskets apiece in the second half in what proved to be an ugly stretch of basketball inside the Kerr Activity Center. Green scored 10 straight points from the 4:46 mark of the second half down to just the 13 second mark of the game, seven of which came by way of the free throw line.

Those ten points from the Houston, Texas, native proved to be enough offense to push the Rangers ahead while their defense constantly wrecked havoc on the Tiger offense down the closing stretches of the contest. The Rangers held the Tiger offense to just a 40.8 shooting percentage (20-of-49) from the field.

Northwestern made 22-of-53 (41.5 percent) of their own shots throughout the evening while out-rebounding the Tigers by a final total of 35-to-31. The Rangers collected 11 steals over the course of the game, four of which came from Cedric Collinge.