Box Score (HTML)

MONTICELLO – The University of Arkansas at Monticello erased a 15-point deficit to tie the game with 6:05 remaining, but the Weevils went without a point in the final 2:45 to allow Northwestern Oklahoma State to record an 80-70 win on Thursday inside Steelman Field House.

A steal and a fast-break dunk by junior Richard Benedyth on the game's first possession seemed to have set the tone for the game, but the Rangers gained the lead two minutes later and led for the rest of the half and 14 minutes into the second half when the Weevils forced the game's first second tie at 65-65 on a layup by senior Sharif Hudson at the 6:05 mark.

Hudson's layup capped an 8-0 run for UAM over the previous two and a half minutes.

After leading 38-28 at halftime, the Rangers (4-11, 3-5 Great American Conference) earned their largest lead of the game at the 16:53 of the second period at 50-35. UAM's Sharif Hudson put it on himself to get the Weevils back in the game, scoring 12 consecutive points to pull UAM back to within single-digits at the 12:58 mark. The Rangers only scored five points over the next five minutes, setting up UAM's final surge.

With 3:17 remaining, senior D'Audrio Patton sunk a pair of foul shots to pull UAM to within three points, but a three-pointer from NWOSU's T'aries Taylor on the other end kept UAM two possessions away from tying. Hudson made a layup on the other end to trim the deficit back to four, but that ended up being the last points for UAM in the game.

The Weevils had two turnovers and a missed three-point attempt in the final two minutes, while NWOSU ended the game on an 8-0 run to finalize the scoring.

UAM finished the game shooting 46 percent from the field (23-for-50). The Weevils made 2-of-13 three-point shots and 22-of-30 foul shots. After being limited to just two points in the first half, Hudson ended up leading all scorers with 22 points on a 7-for-9 shooting performance and an 8-for-9 outing at the foul line. Senior Cameron Blue added 13 points and seven rebounds off the bench, while Benedyth also reached double-figures in scoring with 11 points.

NWOSU finished at 46 percent from the field (31-for-68). The Rangers made 3-of-10 three-pointers and 15-of-20 foul shots. T'aries Taylor led the Rangers with 15 points. Derrick Modest, Laakeem Henderson and Joseph Gray all had 14 points.

The Weevils are back in action on Saturday at home against Southwestern Oklahoma State. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m.