BETHANY, Okla. — Southern Nazarene shot just 29.2 percent from the field Thursday night as it dropped its Great American Conference opener to Henderson State 70-61.
 
The Crimson Storm (0-1, 0-1 GAC) fell behind early as they went 2-of-11 from the field over the first five minutes of the game. Abby Boyd scored the first points of the game just 20 seconds into the game, but SNU went the next three minutes without recording a point. By the end of the first quarter, the Crimson Storm trailed 18-16 on 26.1 percent shooting.
 
Neither team was able to separate itself from the other during the second period, as Henderson State entered halftime with a 36-32 lead. SNU stayed with the Reddies thanks to a big first half from Abby Boyd. The junior guard led the Crimson Storm in scoring at the half with 17 points, and added two steals on the defensive end. As a team, Southern Nazarene shot just 27.8 percent from the field, including a 1-of-7 mark from 3-point range.
 
The pattern continued into the second half, with both teams struggling to find a rhythm on the offensive end. SNU briefly took a 47-46 lead with a minute left in the quarter thanks to two jumpers by Rachel Doerneman and two free throws by Danielle Gaddis. However, Henderson State responded with four consecutive points in the paint to take a 50-47 lead into the final period.
 
After a jumper by Lashabra Plunkett to start the fourth quarter, HSU slowly began to pull away. HSU outscored the Crimson Storm 20-14 in the final quarter, as the Storm shot 23.1 percent from the field and 0-of-6 from beyond the arc. Adrienne Berry paced SNU for the second half, scoring 10 of her 12 points after the intermission while also adding a steal and a block.
 
Boyd led the Crimson Storm in points on the night, scoring a season-high 22 points while adding three steals. Danielle Gaddis recorded a double-double for SNU, scoring 12 points to go with 10 rebounds. Plunkett was key for the Southern Nazarene on the defensive end as she hauled in 12 rebounds and added four blocks.
 
The Crimson Storm defended well on the perimeter, forcing the Reddies to shoot 0-of-10 from beyond the arc. However, Henderson State made up for that by outscoring the SNU 48-24 in the paint.