BARTLESVILLE, Okla. - It's March, and only one statement could really capture the final minutes of madness in the GAC Quarterfinal between the top-seeded Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm and the No. 8 seed Ouachita Baptist Tigers.
What just happened.
Trailing by four points with under one minute to play, SNU put together a miraculous 7-0 rally that included a huge 3-point play from
Micah Speight to push ahead and defeat Ouachita 75-72 in overtime, moving onto the GAC Semifinals.
SNU shot 27 of 63 (45%) from the field, an abysmal 3 of 22 (14%) from deep, and an even rougher 18 of 34 (53%) from the free throw line. On the other end, Ouachita was 21 of 61 (34%) from the field, 10 of 24 (42%) from behind the arc, and 20 of 28 (71%) from the free throw line.
The two teams were even in rebounds at 44 a piece while SNU held a 12-9 advantage in assists. SNU forced 14 Tigers turnovers while only giving it away 12 times.
In the first half,
Jhonathan Dunn got four quick points while
Quaylon Newton and
Noah Starkey went to work in the paint to open up an 8-2 lead. Ouachita responded with a 9-0 to push ahead 11-8 before a 3-pointer from Chris Stephen tied it back up as it was a defensive battle the first seven minutes.
Both teams would exchange buckets for the next 10 minutes as SNU would dominate the paint while Ouachita would get it done from behind the arc.
SNU held a 31-30 lead with under two minutes to play and closed the half with six straight points behind a bucket from Newton and back-to-back lay ins from
R.J. Palmer to push ahead 37-30 at the break.
SNU got an early lay up from Starkey, but went ice cold from the field in the second half as Ouachita used tremendous defense to come back and eventually surge ahead as a 21-4 run gave the Tigers the biggest lead of the game at 51-43.
Micah Speight got a lay in while
Coleman Edwards followed with a huge 3-pointer to get it back to 51-48 as the midway point of the half.
Ouachita got the lead back out to 55-48, but SNU began to clamp down and really went to work in the paint, getting five points from Starkey and and a lay in from Newton to tie the game.
Speight followed with a lay up on one end while Dunn got a fastbreak lay up as SNU completed a 12-0 run to surge back ahead 60-55 with 3:42 to play. SNU kept Ouachita scoreless for nearly seven minutes during the run.
SNU got the lead out to five at 64-59 with 41 seconds to play, but free throws down the stretch would keep the door open from the Tigers. After Speight made a pair, Mahlon Martin got a tipped rebound back at the top of the arc and buried a deep ball to even the game at 66 each with 10 seconds to play.
Zach Johnson got a look at the buzzer, but the shot went begging as the game moved into overtime.
Newton got SNU on the board first in the OT period, but SNU again went through a cold stretch as Ouachita got to the free throw line and got a huge 3-pointer form Matthew Ward to build a 72-68 lead.
SNU continued to struggle from the field and Ouachita went to the line with 1:05 remaining, looking to add to their lead.
The Tigers would got 0-for-4 from the charity stripe while Dunn was perfect in between possessions to make it a two point game.
Down two with 15 seconds left, Speight crossed over and drove down the line, forcing contact and finishing strong to tie the game at 72. He followed with the ensuing free throw to suddenly put SNU ahead 73-72 and send the crowd into a frenzy.
On the following inbounds, Newton stepped in front of the pass and laid it in to make it a three point game while Speight came away with a steal on the final possession, ending the game, and giving SNU an unreal victory.
In the biggest moments at the biggest time, SNU showed why they were a championship team and made the plays when they were needed the most.
Speight finished with 14 points, seven assists, six rebounds, and three steals while Newton had 17 points, 10 boards, and two steals. Starkey had a 16 points game to go with eight rebounds and two blocks while Dunn had 10 points despite a tough shooting night.
Ward led Ouachita with 17 points on five 3-pointers while Morris Talbert added 13 and Matt Stanley had 12 off the bench.
The win moves SNU to 26-5 and moves them into the the GAC Semifinals. The Crimson Storm will enjoy a much needed off day before returning to action on Saturday at 5:15 as they take on the winner of No. 4 Southern Arkansas and No. 5 Henderson State, a game slated for 5:15 tomorrow night.
