RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Saturdays in Arkansas have not been kind to Southern Nazarene this season. It was a point of emphasis to finish the last trip to Arkansas this season with a flourish. The Crimson Storm did just that, taking care of business against Arkansas Tech on Saturday, 79-68, to maintain a one-game lead in the Great American Conference standings.
SNU (21-7, 15-5 GAC) enjoyed a very balanced effort at Tucker Coliseum against the Wonder Boys (12-14, 8-12 GAC), with four players scoring in double figures and all seven players who played scoring at least six points. In the effort, SNU head coach Adam Bohac earned his 250th career victory with the Crimson Storm, and now eyes the historic mark of 336 wins set by the legendary Bobby Martin.
With the win, SNU is in the driver's seat for an unprecedented third straight GAC regular season title. The Crimson Storm can clinch the title next week with two games at the Sawyer Center. Jhonathan Dunn led the way for the Crimson Storm with 16 points despite going just 1-for-2 from the field in the second half. He also grabbed eight rebounds and dished out three assists.
Freshman Nick Davis had a career-high 15 points, 13 of those coming in the first half. The Wonder Boys consistently sent a high double team against Dunn and Micah Speight in an effort to get the ball out of their hands. Unfortunately for Tech, the ball ended up in the hands of Davis on a frequent basis, resulting in easy layups at the rim.
Speight nearly finished with a triple double, putting in 13 points while grabbing eight rebounds and dishing nine assists. Speight took just four shots on Saturday but went 8-for-8 at the foul line. Manny Dixon had 14 points off the bench for SNU, his fourth double-figure output in six games.
Kevin McNeal led the way for the Wonder Boys with 18 points, going 5-for-5 from 3-point range. RJ Grasper had 17 and Devante Foster had 15 points, but the duo combined to go just 12-of-32 from the field.
The first half was a defensive tussle, as the Crimson Storm managed to put some distance between themselves and the Wonder Boys with a 35-27 lead with 29 seconds to play. A Dillon Gooding 3-pointer at the buzzer drew Tech within five at the half.
SNU was just 1-of-8 from 3-point range in the first half after knocking down 15 3-pointers at Harding on Thursday night. The Storm finished the game just 5-of-17 from deep, their second-lowest total of the season.
A free throw from Maik Bouwer gave SNU a 49-37 lead with 11:55 to play. Free throws were the key for SNU in the second half, as the Crimson Storm went 20-of-24 from the stripe, including 7-of-8 in the first eight minutes of the half to build the 12-point lead.
Tech responded with a 15-2 run, keyed by three SNU turnovers, to take a 52-51 lead with 8:53 to play. But SNU would not be denied this day. 3-pointers from Speight and Dixon on back-to-back possessions pushed SNU back in front by five and the Storm would not trail again.
SNU put the clamps on Tech defensively, holding the Wonder Boys to a single field goal over a 7:33 stretch. Meanwhile, the Crimson Storm steadily built their lead up to a game-high 15 points with a variety of shots, both inside and outside the arc. A runner from Speight from the foul line punctuated the 19-3 run and gave SNU a 70-55 lead with 2:04 to play.
The Crimson Storm wrap up the regular season at home next week, taking on Southern Arkansas on Thursday and Arkansas-Monticello on Saturday at the Sawyer Center. Tipoff with the Muleriders on Thursday night is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
