BETHANY, Okla. — Alexus Jones scored a career-high 22 points for Southern Nazarene on Thursday, but it wasn't enough in a gut-wrenching 69-68 loss to Ouachita Baptist.
 
The freshman knocked down three triples, as she went on to shoot 9-for-20 from the field. She also dished out four assists, grabbed four rebounds, and tallied a couple of steals. It was a tale of two halves for the Crimson Storm (7-11, 5-9 GAC) who shot 54.8 percent from the floor after shooting just 25.6 percent in the first. The Tigers (11-9, 7-7 GAC) shot 37 percent in the game despite going just 4-of-17 in the fourth quarter.
 
Abby Niehues notched her second double-double of the season as the freshman scored 13 points and pulled down 10 boards. Sidney Carolina added nine points and eight rebounds, while Kennedy Gillette added seven off the Storm bench. Adrienne Berry chipped in eight points and grabbed seven rebounds as well.
 
SNU opened the game shooting 6-for-19 in the first quarter, while Ouachita Baptist shot 6-for-16. The Tigers knocked down three triples in the period as they led 15-12 heading into the second quarter. Ouachita opened the second quarter on a 10-2 run to push their lead to double digits, as SNU shot just 4-20 in the quarter. The Tigers shot 43.7 percent in the first half as they took a 34-21 lead into halftime.
 
Southern Nazarene completely flipped the switch in the second half as it opened the third on a 10-4 run. Jones knocked down a couple of three pointers in the period, as she went on to score 13 in the quarter. Ouachita got aggressive and got to the free-throw line 12 times as the Storm trailed 57-46 heading into the fourth. 
 
Much like the third quarter, Southern Nazarene kick-started the fourth on a 14-2 run to take their first lead of the game since 7:38 in the opening period. They held the Tigers to 4-of-17 shooting in the final quarter, as they made a valiant comeback. Niehues scored on a layup with five seconds remaining to give SNU a two-point lead, but Ouachita Baptist's Madison Brittain nailed a three-pointer as time expired to give the Tigers the victory.