ALVA, Okla. – A banked three-pointer with seven seconds remaining allowed sixth-ranked Southern Nazarene to squeak away with a four-point win, leaving the Rangers on the short end of a hard-fought, 67-63 loss.

After shooting 52 percent in the first half, Northwestern held a 34-26 advantage going into intermission. The lead was extended to 15, as NWOSU scored six unanswered points to kick off the second half.

With the Rangers up 46-32 on the Crimson Storm, SNU went on a 14-3 run to trim the lead down to four points.

The game went into its fourth tie, 52-52, with 7:29 to go. Northwestern pulled away by three points, 62-59, with 2:34 left. Two SNU free throws pulled the Crimson Storm to within a point at the 2:18 mark, and Brandon Brown added a free throw with 1:22 left to give the Rangers a 63-61 advantage.

Jon West kicked in a three-pointer for SNU with just over a minute remaining, giving Southern Nazarene a one-point lead. The dagger came when Kyle Boen banked in a trey with seven ticks remaining, warding off a late Ranger comeback.

The Rangers shot 42 percent on the night as Brandon Dixon turned in a double-double of 21 points and 10 boards. He was followed by Marshall Bell’s 11 points, consisting of three of the Rangers’ seven three-pointers. Thiago Guilherme had five assists and five steals, while Marshall Bell also five assists of his own.

SNU’s bench out-scored NWOSU 31-10. The Crimson Storm had four double digit scorers, with Vladimir Bulut leading the way with 19 points. SNU hit 50 percent on the evening and was 11-of-21 from three.

Northwestern (9-12, 4-10) will head to Chickasha on Saturday, Feb. 6 to meet USAO in an 8 p.m. game.