Alva Review-Courier -

ALVA, Okla. – Senior point guard Jade Jones reached the 1,000-Point Club Thursday night against her former team as the Northwestern Oklahoma State University women's basketball team lost in a hard-fought game to nationally ranked Southwestern Oklahoma State, 97-79.

Early in the second quarter, Jones eclipsed the elite mark on a pair of free-throws for her eighth and ninth points of the ballgame. She now has 1,004 career points combined between Northwestern and Southwestern, after transferring to NWOSU in 2016.

Jones finished with 12 points, behind the trio of Bailey Brown, Kalea King and Presley Payahsape who each tallied 14 points to lead the Lady Rangers. Brown pulled down 16 rebounds in the game to record her third double-double of the season.

Brown's 16 boards are the most rebounds in a game by a Lady Ranger in the Div. II era (2012-present), and the most since Brittany McBride was credited with 17 against Oklahoma Wesleyan in 2006. With the help of Brown in the paint, the Lady Rangers outrebounded the Lady Bulldogs 37-33. Southwestern entered the contest third in the league in boards at almost 41 a contest.

Hailey Tucker proved why she is the Great American Conference's all-time leading scorer as she dropped 28 points to lead the Lady Bulldogs.

Northwestern moved to 5-11 overall this season and 2-7 in the league, while the Southwestern improved to 14-1 and 9-0. The Lady Rangers will be on the road Saturday afternoon for their second date of the season with Oklahoma Baptist.

In the first quarter of the game Thursday night, the Lady Rangers were ready to go to battle with the rivals from down South. Right out of the game, Jones knocked down a straight away three to give the Lady Rangers a quick lead.

Later in the quarter, trailing the Lady Bulldogs 10-9, Deja Beechum got a block on Tucker. The Lady Rangers quickly pushed the ball up the floor and Payahsape completed the sequence with a three to give the home team the advantage.

Trey Lunn

Presley Payahsape of the Lady Rangers cuts to the basket for the easy lay-up.

However, Southwestern went on a 9-0 run to create some room in the final minutes of the quarter.

The Lady Bulldogs continued to carry the momentum into the second quarter, opening up a 17-point cushion before Brown found McKenzie Billy for three of her eight points, followed by a Brown pull up jumper in the paint.

With four minutes to go in the second, the Lady Rangers went on a 7-0 spurt to cut into the leady, capped by another Billy three to make it an eight-point ballgame. Unfortunately, Southwestern held of the push and took a 48-35 lead into halftime.

As the second half progressed, the Lady Bulldogs had an answer for any shot the Lady Rangers had at the deficit. The three point shooting of Southwestern proved to be the difference of the game as they knocked down 18 from outside the arc.