BETHANY, Okla. — In a game where they could have given up and conceded victory, Southern Nazarene never did. Even when they were down 11 in the third quarter, SNU continued to fight back. In the end, the Crimson Storm prevailed with a 72-71 victory over Northwestern Oklahoma State in front of the home crowd in the Sawyer Center.
 
The Crimson Storm (3-7, 2-5 GAC) started slow as they missed four of their first five shots and two of their first ten. However, 3-point shooting kept SNU within striking distance as it went 3-of-6 in the first period and led 20-18 after one quarter.
 
The Crimson Storm continued their hot shooting from long range into the second quarter as they hit their first two attempts from beyond the arc on the way to a 28-25 lead halfway through the second quarter. Northwestern answered with a 10-3 run to end the half, giving the Rangers a 35-31 lead at intermission.
 
NWOSU came out of the locker room clicking as it went on a 12-5 run out of the half, resulting in a 47-36 score and its biggest lead of the game. After getting within eight going into the final period, Southern Nazarene started the fourth quarter on a 17-4 run behind seven points from LaShabra Plunkett and 3-pointers from Abby Boyd and Adrienne Berry.
 
The final minutes became a battle of which team could execute when it mattered most, with 18 total free throws between the two teams. Danielle Gaddis went 4-of-4 in the final four minutes, including two with 20 seconds left to give SNU a 72-71 lead. With the final possession, the Rangers went to their leading scorer on the night and season in Kamera Bozeman. Bozeman missed two shots, one blocked by Plunkett, but Relina Johnson was fouled with .5 seconds left with a chance to all but ice the game for the Rangers. However, Johnson missed both attempts, giving Southern Nazarene the victory.
 
Southern Nazarene shot 40.7 percent from the field for the game, but turned it on in the fourth quarter, going 9-of-12 from the field and 8-of-10 from the free throw line. Boyd led the way for the Crimson Storm, scoring a career-high 27 points while hitting five shots from beyond the arc. Plunkett scored 10 points for SNU, all coming in the fourth quarter, while throwing in eight rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. Berry led SNU off the bench with nine points and five rebounds while shooting a perfect 3-of-3 from long range. Ashley Almond added eight points and four rebounds in reserve while going 4-of-4 from the charity stripe.