ALVA, OKLA. – The East Central University women's basketball team ran into a hot-shooting Northwestern Oklahoma State, falling 75-62 in Great American Conference road action.  The Rangers shot 47.4 (27-of-57) percent from the field and 44.0 (11-of-25) from three-point range, while the Tigers hit 33.3 (21-of-63) percent of their shots and 38.2 (13-of-34) of their triples.

The Tigers (6-9, 6-6 GAC) were led by junior Lakin Preisner and senior Devon Branch, who each tallied 16 points and four rebounds.  Preisner added three assists and three steals, while Branch added four assists and a steal.

The first five minutes of the game saw low scoring, but the Rangers (9-8, 5-6 GAC) claimed an 11-3 lead during the span.  ECU cut the deficit to five over the next minute, but NWOSU finished the stanza on an 11-5 run to lead 24-13.

The Rangers kept pushing and built the lead to 16 in the first minute of the second quarter.  The Tigers were able to cut the lead to 11 in the first four minutes, but then both teams went cold for two minutes.  NWOSU then used a 15-7 run in the remaining time in the half to lead 47-28 at the break.

The Rangers pushed the lead to 21 (54-33) in the first three minutes of the second half.  ECU never gave up and cut the deficit to 12 (56-44) in the next three minutes, with an 11-2 run.  The teams traded shots for the rest of the quarter, with NWOSU holding a 61-49 lead heading in the final stanza.

The Tigers hit the final shot of the third quarter and continued a 9-3 run over the first six minutes of the fourth, which cut the lead to six (64-56).  However, the Rangers pushed back and got the lead back to 10 in the next two minutes and kept the lead around 10 the rest of the game on the way to the 75-62 win.

ECU will continue their four-game road trip with two games in Arkansas next week.  The Tigers will face Harding, Thursday, Jan. 25 at 5:30 p.m. and then travel to Russellville, Ark., to battle Arkansas Tech, Saturday, Jan. 27 at 1 p.m.