BARTLESVILLE, Okla. – They say getting your first win in the GAC Championships is difficult, but after outscoring Southeastern Oklahoma State 46-34 in the second half, Southern Nazarene doesn't ever have to worry about that again.
 
The Crimson Storm picked up the school's first conference tournament victory Friday, as they took down the Savage Storm 71-56 inside the Bruin Fieldhouse. SNU's only other tournament appearance came in 2017 where they were beaten in the quarterfinals.
 
It was a tale of two halves for Southern Nazarene as they shot 34.6 percent in the first and a sizzling 65 percent in the second. Their defense was stifling all game, as they held Southeastern to 37 percent for the entire game and forced 15 Savage Storm turnovers. SNU won the rebounding battle 35-29 and outscored SEOSU 32-20 in the paint. The Crimson Storm got huge contributions off the bench as they tallied 20 points, while Southeastern scored just five.
 
Adrienne Berry had arguably her best performance of the season, as the senior led the way with a season-high 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting. She knocked down five 3-pointers and also hauled in two rebounds. Berry was one of two players to finish in double-figures for SNU. Alexus Jones tallied 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field and was sensational on the defensive end as she recorded a career-high five steals in the contest.
 
Sonia Sarda and Jaycee Soap had excellent performances off the bench. Sarda scored eight points and dished out five assists, while Soap also scored eight points and buried a couple of triples. Abby Niehues also finished the game with eight points, five rebounds, and two blocks for SNU.
 
Both teams struggled out of the gate as Southern Nazarene shot 27 percent in the opening quarter while Southeastern shot 30 percent. The Crimson Storm made it difficult for the Savage Storm to get anything going as the game was tied 10-10 after one.
 
SNU started to pick things up in the second quarter as they knocked down three buckets from behind the arc. They jumped out on a quick 7-0 run and later pushed their lead to 25-15. Just when it looked like Southern Nazarene could take an even larger lead, Southeastern held the Crimson Storm scoreless for the final 3:07 of the half and cut the SNU lead to 25-22 at halftime.
 
After a back-and-forth start to the third quarter, Southern Nazarene decided to put their foot on the gas. Berry scored 11 of her 26 points in the third, as the Crimson Storm went on a 12-3 run to take a 47-37 lead. SNU shot 60 percent from the floor in the period and knocked down 3-of-5 tries from 3-point range to take a 49-39 lead into the final frame.
 
The hot-shooting continued in the fourth quarter for Southern Nazarene as they bumped their lead up to 62-47 with 4:01 to play. The Storm shot 70 percent from the field in the final 10 minutes and never gave Southeastern a chance to get back in the game. SNU scored 22 points in the period as head coach Trent May earned his first postseason victory.
 
Southern Nazarene will take on Arkansas Tech in the semifinals Saturday afternoon at 2:15 p.m. SNU swept the regular-season series with Arkansas Tech with a 68-54 win in Russellville and a 72-59 win at the Sawyer Center. The No. 7 seed Golden Suns defeated No. 2 seed East Central 76-74 in double-overtime in the quarterfinals Thursday afternoon.