MONTICELLO, Ark. – Despite shooting just 36 percent from the floor inside Steelman Fieldhouse on Thursday night, Southern Nazarene escaped Arkansas-Monticello 62-61 in an overtime thriller.
 
After shooting over 50 percent from the floor in their past four games at home, the Crimson Storm (14-5, 8-3 GAC) failed to eclipse the 40 percent mark for the second straight road game. But the percentages did not matter at the end of the day, as defense is what propelled SNU to its fifth straight victory on the infamous green court. The Storm held the Weevils (13-7, 5-6 GAC) to just 36.5 percent from the floor and forced 14 UAM turnovers in the contest. They made life difficult all game along for the Monticello guards, particularly in overtime as SNU held the Weevils to 1-of-5 shooting in the final five minutes of OT.
 
Jhonathan Dunn finished with at least 20 points for the 18^th time in 19 games this season as he tallied a game-high 22 on just 6-of-18 shooting from the floor. He also went 8-for-8 from the free-throw line and added seven rebounds as well. Micah Speight finished with 12 points as he knocked down 4-of-9 tries from 3-point range and also pulled down six rebounds. Morris Wilson II added six points and five rebounds for SNU as well.
 
The Crimson Storm bench was a big factor on both sides of the ball on Thursday night as Tyler Williams and Manny Dixon each chipped in seven points off the bench. Nick Davis had his best all-around game in his young career as the freshman finished with five points and a career-high 11 rebounds for the Storm. Ashton Charles added three points and seven rebounds off the bench as well for SNU.
 
The Weevils racked up 36 bench points compared to 22 for SNU but the Storm out-rebounded UAM 42-39 and dished out two more assists. Monticello controlled the paint as they tallied 28 points in the paint while SNU registered 16. The fouls really played a part as UAM committed 20 which resulted in 19 Storm free throws while SNU only fouled 11 times.
 
Southern Nazarene's defense was on full display right from the opening tip. Although their offense struggled out of the gate in the opening minutes, the Crimson Storm held the Weevils scoreless for nearly seven minutes from the tip. They held UAM to just 22 first half points which is the fewest points allowed by SNU in any half this season. Despite this strong defensive effort, the Storm lead never reached double-digits in the first half as they increased it to nine a couple of times. A Dixon layup gave SNU a 22-14 lead with 4:14 to play in the first half as the Storm took a 26-22 advantage into the break.
 
After shooting just 32 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes, Southern Nazarene would get back into rhythm a bit. But so would Arkansas-Monticello. The Weevils shot 46 percent in the second half and would not go quietly into the night on their home floor. SNU took its largest lead of the second half at 46-38 with 7:36 and it looked like the Storm were going to put it away. But UAM responded with a 9-0 run to take their first lead of the game 47-46 with 5:01 to play. After the Weevils took a 55-53 lead with less than a minute left, it was Dunn who knocked down a jumper to tie the game at 55-55 with 20 seconds left. The Weevils would milk the clock for the final shot but some excellent defense from Wilson II forced the game into overtime.
 
Head coach Adam Bohac and company were not going to let this one slip through their fingers as they held Monticello to 20 percent shooting in overtime. Despite this, UAM still had a chance at the end to win the game. Dunn buried a three with 2:15 to make it 62-56 and that would be the last time SNU would score. After UAM got a bucket and made three free throws, the Storm still held a 62-61 advantage. The Weevils had one final chance with 10 seconds to play but once again the Southern Nazarene defense held strong as they escaped with the one-point victory.
 
The Crimson Storm will be back in action on Saturday afternoon against Southern Arkansas in Magnolia, Arkansas. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.