Box Score

SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. — If you would have told the Southern Nazarene coaching staff that they would only hit one 3-pointer the entire game and would go 0-for-7 from the perimeter in the seond half and still knock off John Brown on its home floor, you might have left the gym in a straight jacket.

Despite going 1-for-14 from beyond the arc, the Crimson Storm (23-5, 17-3 SAC) found a way to get it done on the road for the third straight time and now have won four in-a-row and 11 of their last 12 with a 54-52 win over John Brown.

The difference in the game may have come in the turnover battle. Even though SNU turned it over just four times less than the Golden Eagles (19-8, 13-6 SAC), the Storm scored 15 points off of those compared to just three points from JBU.

The post duo of Sharmeda Johnson and Abbey Marra did most of the damage for the Storm as the two combined for 30 points and 23 rebounds. Johnson had a game-high 16 points and 10 boards for her fifth and second straight double-double while Marra notched 14 points and 13 rebounds for her 15th double-double of the year. Johnson hit just three shots the entire night, but got to the line plenty and made it count going 10-for-13. Marra was 3-for-5 from the floor and was 8-of-11 from the charity stripe.

The Storm as a team shot 75 percent (21-28) from the line and went 9-for-10 in the final five minutes of the contest.

With 9:33 left to play, John Brown took its biggest lead of the game, at 43-35, on a pair of Anny Parish free throws. Then what happened was exactly what JBU didn't need to happen, as SNU was able to stop the clock and get to the line. SNU closed the game on a 19-9 run with 13 of those points coming at the line.

Johnson hit a pair of free throws to make it 43-37 before Marra cut the lead to five with another free throw. Logan Martin, who scored nine points, made it 43-40 with a jumper, but JBU answered to take the lead back out to 46-40 with 7:33 remaining. A Johnson bucket in the paint and three straight free throws by Marra brought SNU within one with 4:44 to play. Jamie Bottger tied it at 47 with a jumper before Johnson tied it again at 49 with two more free throws and then gave SNU its first lead since the 13:32 mark when she buried another pair from the line. Chelsea Garrison answered with a jumper, but Marra hit two free throws to put SNU up 53-52 with 40 seconds left.

JBU had a chance to take the lead, but Katie Mangels missed two shots before Marra pulled down the board and Martin hit the first of two free throws to put SNU up 54-52 with 11 seconds left. Bottger saved the game from being tied when she blocked a ball out of bounds and JBU missed what could have been a game-winning trey as SNU secured the win and now can finish no worse than third place in the conference.

The Crimson Storm will now try to complete the four-game road sweep Thursday when they travel to Mid-America Christian for a 6 p.m. SAC game.