BETHANY, Okla. — Despite having its top two scorers sidelined, No. 12 Southern Nazarene was able to ring in the New Year with a 79-73 Sooner Athletic Conference win over Oklahoma Christian.
The Crimson Storm (10-2, 3-1 SAC) needed an all-around performance and got it as four players were in double figures. Jon West scored a career-high 18 points for the second time this year while Horace McGloster also added 16 points as both West and McGloster each recorded a game-high seven rebounds.
“I was really excited about our character and effort in the second half,” said SNU head coach Adam Bohac. “It might be the first time all season that I thought we stole one based on toughness. I don't know how well we actually played, but I know we played hard. There was a white shirt on the floor and a white shirt making a play which gave the rest of the team energy.”
The first conference game of the New Year featured more ups and downs than the stock market over the last year. There were 16 lead changes and eight ties and neither team led by more than six the entire game. Six of those leads changes came in the final four minutes of the first half as both teams traded a fury of baskets in the final minutes of the first half.
After OC took a 34-33 lead into the second half, SNU answered by scoring the first five points of the second half. After the Eagles cut it to 38-37 just two minutes into the half, the Storm took their biggest lead on a traditional 3-point play by white and a McGloster jumper to make it 43-37.
White again put SNU up by six at 48-42 with a trey and SNU led 49-44, but a 9-0 run by the Eagles gave them a 53-49 lead. OC held that lead until the 8:30 mark when West buried one of his two 3-pointers on the night to put SNU up 59-58. The Eagles answered back on the next bucket to retake the lead and didn't give up the lead until West hit a pair of free throws and a layup and then Milos Milosevic put SNU up for good with a lay in.
The Crimson Storm now hit the road for a brutal four-game stretch which include games at Northwestern, Wayland Baptist, Lubbock Christian and Oklahoma City.
