DURANT, Okla. – For the first time this season and for the third straight season, Southern Nazarene is alone at the top of the Great American Conference standings.
 
The Crimson Storm (18-6, 12-4 GAC) entered Saturday afternoon tied for first in the conference standings with the Savage Storm (17-6, 11-5 GAC) and at the end of it all, SNU is alone at the top with a 77-74 victory. Fans in Durant got their money's worth in this matchup as both teams shot above 55 percent from the field and knocked down a combined 24 three-pointers in the contest. SNU finished with a 55.8 percent clip while knocking down 14-of-22 (63.6%) from behind the arc. SEOSU was even more sensational on their home floor, converting 60 percent of their field goals to go along with 10-of-21 (47.6%) tries from downtown.
 
The team stats couldn't have been more even as SNU out-rebounded Southeastern 23-21 and dished out 17 assists compared to 12 for the Savage Storm. SEOSU dominated the paint, scoring 38 points compared to 22 for SNU but the Crimson Storm recorded seven offensive rebounds to just five for Southeastern.
 
Anchoring the red-hot shooting from the floor was none other than Jhonathan Dunn. The senior poured in a game-high 27 points on 9-of-17 shooting and 4-of-7 from 3-point range. He also added seven rebounds and was a perfect 5-for-5 from the free-throw line. Micah Speight found himself in the Great American Conference history books at the end of the game as he recorded his 541^st career assist, the most career assists ever in the GAC. He finished the game with five dimes to go along with 16 points on 4-of-7 shooting from downtown. He also anchored the Storm defense, leading the way with a game-high three steals as well.
 
Maik Bouwer continued his stellar play for head coach Adam Bohac as he knocked down some pivotal shots in key moments in the game. He finished with nine points and seven rebounds in a career-high 37 minutes on the floor. Nick Davis added eight points, four rebounds, and three assists as well for SNU.
 
In a game that featured zero ties and 11 lead changes, the game was tightly contested all afternoon. The largest lead for either side was five points as the heavyweights of the GAC traded blows all game. Speight knocked down a jumper with 9:17 left in the first half to give SNU a 22-21 lead, before Williams buried a triple a little later to push their lead to 31-26 with 4:40 left. Southeastern cut into the SNU lead in the final four minutes as the Crimson Storm took a 39-37 lead into the halftime break.
 
Dunn knocked down a jumper to give SNU the 44-39 lead with 17:45 to play in the game, but the Crimson Storm knew they were in for a tough finish. Southeastern later took a 59-54 lead with 10 minutes to play and later led 69-64 with 4:54 left. The final two minutes were the most exciting as Williams knocked down the biggest shot of the game, a fall-away three-pointer in the corner to beat the shot clock buzzer to give SNU a 77-74 lead with 29 seconds to play. After Southern Nazarene got a stop, Southeastern managed to get the ball back after a turnover and had one final chance to tie it. The Crimson Storm defense held strong in the final 12 seconds as SNU won their fourth straight game.
 
Southern Nazarene will be back in action next Thursday night as they travel to Bison Hill to take on rival Oklahoma Baptist in the Noble Complex. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.