Box Score
ARKADELPHIA, Ark.- A four point deficit at halftime seemed worlds away at the conclusion of Thursday night's women's basketball game in Bill Vining Arena. The Ouachita Lady Tigers (12-2, 7-1 GAC) used a quick start to the second half to regain the lead in the Great American Conference standings, downing the Lady Rangers of Northwestern Oklahoma State (4-10, 3-5 GAC) by a score of 62-54.
 
In the first half, the Lady Tigers turned the ball over 12 times and shot just 36 percent from the floor, while the Lady Rangers knocked down 46 percent of their shots, marking the difference in a 28-24 halftime score. An 8-0 run late in the first half pushed Northwestern ahead of the Lady Tigers, who held the lead for most of the half.
 
The second half saw a quick start for the Lady Tigers, as they put up 10 points before Northwestern was able to score and jumped out to a six point lead. After gaining the lead, the Lady Tigers never looked back, jumping out to an 11 point advantage on multiple occasions and rallying to an eight point win.
 
Monica Williams recorded her eighth double-double of the year with 22 points and 12 rebounds, complemented by 19 points from Nashia James. The pair accounted for more than two out of every three points for the Lady Tigers. Elise Holman played strong on the boards, recording seven rebounds, while James dished out a number of assists, finishing with four.
 
Northwestern's Macy Gibson knocked in 12 points and grabbed four rebounds, while Titania Simmons notched eight points, but neither was able to put their team back in the game in the second half.
 
Ouachita held a 37-32 advantage on the boards as the final buzzer sounded, and Ouachita shot 56 percent from the floor in the second half while holding Northwestern to just 25.8 percent, playing a huge part in the victory.
 
Ouachita will continue to try to make use of home court advantage on Saturday, when they host Southwestern Oklahoma at 2 p.m. in a conference battle at Bill Vining Arena.
 
-Josh Fink, Sports Information Director