BETHANY - Southern Nazarene put up a strong 18-point fourth quarter to put down Arkansas Tech 64-46 on Thursday evening in Bethany.
SNU (8-3, 5-2 GAC) came out of the gate with their hair on fire as they piled up 23 points in the first quarter of play to the nine of ATU (7-4, 4-3 GAC). 12 of the first 23 Crimson Storm points came from 3-point land as
Jaycee Soap knocked down two of those. In fact, Soap scored eight of her 16 point total in this quarter alone.
However, this fire extinguished as the Golden Suns answered with a powerful 13 point quarter to cut the Storm lead to nine going into halftime.
The Crimson Storm shot 40.7% from the floor on 24-of-59 attempts while the Golden Suns shot a mere 30% on the evening. SNU controlled the boards as they brought down 46 total rebounds to rival the 35 of ATU. Southern Nazarene was dominant in all facets of the game as they forced seven turnovers, blocked seven shots, and outscored Arkansas Tech 24-18 in the paint.
Junior
Kennedy Gillette lead the way for SNU as she collected 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting (58.3%). Gillette also brought down seven rebounds and registered two steals.
Jaycee Soap followed with 16 points, 12 of those coming from the arc, and five assists while coming down with seven rebounds.
Alexus Jones got her fourth double-double of the season as she racked up 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting (66%) and 10 rebounds.
Abby Niehues made her presence known on the floor as she stuffed the stat sheet on her way to six points, 11 rebounds, a season-high six blocks, and two steals.
Sonia Sarda struggled on the evening shooting just 20%, but made up for this by dishing out five assists and grabbing seven rebounds.
When it seemed like a comeback was on the way in the third quarter when ATU outscored SNU 17-15, the Storm quickly shut the door as they tagged on 18 more points in the fourth to ensure the win.
Southern Nazarene will be playing at home once again on Saturday to battle against the Lady Bisons of Harding University (7-6, 4-3 GAC). Tip-off is set for 1:00 pm.
