BETHANY, Okla. — After spending five games on the road, Southern Nazarene showed it was glad to be back inside the Sawyer Center as it routed Harding, 79-65, in the first home Great American Conference game of the year.
 
The Crimson Storm (3-4, 2-1 GAC) had three players combine for 47 points, including Noah Starkey who notched his third double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds. He also had four blocks as he went 6-for-12 from the field and 3-for-4 at the free-throw line. LB Willis and Jhonathan Dunn each had 16 points. Willis went 8-for-14 from the field and added five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Dunn went 6-for-11 from the field and 4-for-8 from 3-point range. He also had three rebounds. C.J. white added six points and nine rebounds while Deshon Portley and Quaylon Newton added eight points. Portley also had five assists.
 
SNU fired 48.5 percent from the field and hit nine 3-pointers. The Storm held Harding to just 39.7 percent from the floor and forced 13 turnovers. Southern Nazarene scored 40 points its points in the paint and had 11 second-chance points off 10 offensive rebounds.
 
SNU opened the game on a 13-4 run capped by a Dunn trey and pushed it to 19-8 with 14:09 left in the first half. The Bisons closed it to 23-18 and were down 26-21 before the Storm closed the half on a 23-10 run to take a 49-31 lead at the break.
 
SNU pushed the lead to 57-35 early in the second half, but the Bisons used an 18-9 run to cut it to 66-53 with 10:53 left to play. That was as close as Harding came though as SNU kept them at bay.