SENATOBIA – Four Rangers came away with double digit scoring performances, but it wasn't enough to take down a solid 16th-ranked MSU-West Plains squad, as Northwest fell 96-77 at Howard Coliseum on Monday night.

MSU-West Plains improved to 7-3 on the season, while the Rangers fell to 3-3 overall.

Northwest showed a promising start early after jumping out to a 9-2 lead, but the Grizzlies roared back with an 18-4 run over a six-and-a-half minute span to take a 20-13 advantage.

Northwest managed to keep the deficit to single digits for a large remainder of the first half, but MSU-West Plains closed the half on a 10-2 run to lead by 16 at the break.

Trailing by 20 in the opening moments of the second half, the Rangers managed to bridge the gap to under 10 three separate times, the last coming on a Jitaurious Gordon jumper with 11:44 to go. 

The Grizzlies created separation again, however, with a 20-6 scoring run over the next four minutes to lead 79-57.

MSU-West Plains led by double figures the rest of the way, including a peak of 24 with less than three minutes to go, giving the Rangers a rare loss on their home floor.

A major difference in the game came from three-point range, where the Rangers shot just 10 percent from beyond the arc and were 0-for-7 during the first half. In contrast, the Grizzlies shot 44 percent for the evening.

Gordon led the Rangers with 15 points, followed by 12 from Will Tribble, 11 from Nick Edwards and 10 from Devon Benson. 

MSU-West Plains was paced by a 24-point effort from Sardaar Calhoun and double digit performances by Eric Lovett (14) and Burone Edwards (10).

Northwest will look to rebound on Tuesday night with a 7 p.m. rematch with SAU Tech at Howard Coliseum. The Rockets held off a furious Ranger comeback earlier this season with a 98-95 victory on Nov. 6.