Box Score

CLAREMORE, Okla. — When Southern Nazarene fell to No. 23 after a loss to now No. 19 Lubbock Christian, the Crimson Storm knew there was not much room for error. To make it even harder SNU was heading into a four-game road trip, but after two games on the road, SNU is halfway through the road trip at 2-0 with a 73-70 win over Rogers State.

The Crimson Storm (22-5, 16-3 SAC) have now won three in-a-row and 10 of their last 11 and went right back to its inside-out play.

Sharmeda Johnson and Logan Martin each scored a game-high 23 points. It was a career-high for Johnson who also notched her fourth double-double of the season with 10 rebounds. The junior forward went 8-for-15 from the field and 7-of-8 from the line. Martin was 8-of-13 from the field and 3-for-5 from 3-point range. She was also 4-for-5 from the charity stripe and dished out five assists.

SNU was red hot in the fist half, shooting 56.7 percent from the field and 60 percent from downtown, but shot just 38.5 percent in the second half and had to hold off Rogers State who fired 51.7 percent from the field in the second half.

After SNU took a 39-30 lead at the half, the Storm took their biggest lead of the game at 41-30 just 16 seconds in to the second half. The lead didn't last long as the Hillcats scored 12 straight over the next four minutes to take a 42-41 lead. Over the final 16 minutes of the game, neither team led by more than five as there were eight ties and five lead changes down the stretch.

RSU tried to run away with the lead, but for every shot it hit, SNU had an answer. Logan Froese hit a bucket in the paint to give the Hillcats a 57-55 lead before Johnson hit a pair of free throws to tied it with 4:36 left to play. Cortney Crockett then added another two points in the paint, but Oumoul Thiam, who only had two points before, hit a huge trey to put SNU up 60-59. SNU increased its lead to 64-59, but Crockett hit a pair of free throws before Hunter Peterson drained a trey to tie it at 64 with 2:20 remaining.

RSU tied it again at 68 before Martin hit a jumper in the paint and Johnson corralled a missed trey that would have given Rogers State the lead and then hit two from the line to make it 72-68 and the Storm held on from there for the win.

The Storm now get set to travel to John Brown for a 1 p.m. SAC contest Saturday.