BETHANY, Okla. — For the first time since joining NCAA Division II, Southern Nazarene defeated a top-10 nationally ranked team as it took down No. 10 Southwestern Oklahoma State 86-81 on senior night.
 
The Bulldogs (25-3, 20-2 GAC) clinched the regular-season Great American Conference title on Friday afternoon, as they arrived at the Sawyer Center looking to build some momentum going into the conference tournament. The Crimson Storm (10-16, 8-14 GAC) had other plans as they shot 50.8 percent from the floor and out rebounded SWOSU 41-31.
 
Adrienne Berry led the way for SNU as the junior poured in 26 points on 9-of-20 shooting and four three-pointers. She also pulled down eight rebounds. Irene Perez flirted with a triple-double as she scored 17 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and dished out nine assists. Addison Foster scored 13 points off the Storm bench as the freshman knocked down 3-of-5 shots from behind the arc. Kandyce Freeman added 10 points off the bench as well.
 
The Storm jumped off to an 11-4 run to start the game, and their hot hand continued throughout the quarter as they shot 50 percent. They outscored SWOSU 25-17 and held the Bulldogs to just 21 percent shooting.
 
The second quarter was no different for SNU, as they shot 55 percent from the floor en route to a season-high 26 points in the period. The Crimson Storm made eight three-pointers in the first half as they took a 51-33 lead into halftime.
 
The Bulldogs opened the third quarter on a 9-2 run, and forced six SNU turnovers to cut the lead down to 53-42. SWOSU knocked down three triples in the period as they forced 10 SNU turnovers in the quarter to cut the Storm lead to 68-59.
 
Both teams traded buckets through the first six minutes of the fourth quarter, as Berry made two free-throws to give SNU an 82-71 lead with 3:18 left. The Bulldogs then went on an 8-0 run to make it 82-79 with 35.7 seconds left. Perez knocked down two free-throws to make it 84-79. Abby Niehues had a huge block on the other end that led to two more Perez free-throws that sealed it for Southern Nazarene.