BETHANY – In just their second game this season with a full roster, Southern Nazarene picked up their first victory of the 2020-21 season on Saturday afternoon as SNU dominated Northwestern Oklahoma State inside the Sawyer Center 90-66, their highest scoring total this season.
The Crimson Storm (1-3, 1-3 GAC) were red hot from the field, particularly the 3-point line, as they knocked down a season-high 13-of-23 (56.5%) from downtown. They finished 33-of-71 (46.5%) from the field despite being out rebounded by the Rangers (4-4, 2-4 GAC). The Storm's stifling defense made all the difference as they forced 19 Northwestern turnovers while SNU only gave it away nine times. Points in the paint were another key factor in the Storm's victory as they dominated the Rangers 28-13 inside as they also pulled down 16 offensive rebounds.
In just her second game of the season, senior guard
Alexus Jones was sensational on Saturday afternoon. She poured in a season-high 23 points on 8-of-20 shooting including a 3-of-8 clip from 3-point territory. Not only that, she hauled in six rebounds and led the way with a game-high five assists as well.
The Crimson Storm also got tremendous complimentary performances from
Kennedy Gillette,
Emily Monaghan,
Cassandra Awatt, and
Payton Jones. Gillette scored 15 points on 5-of-6 from the field and a perfect 3-for-3 clip from downtown while adding four rebounds as well. Monaghan played a team-high 36 minutes and scored 12 points and hauled in a team-high seven boards, while Awatt tallied 11 points and secured five rebounds. In just her second game in a SNU uniform, freshman
Payton Jones brought the spark off the Storm bench. She finished the game with nine points, all coming from behind the arc, as she made one from near half court to send the SNU bench into a frenzy.
Abby Niehues finished with seven points, three rebounds, and a season-high four blocks. She needs just 10 more blocks to break the GAC's all-time career blocks record.
Nefer Leon also added seven points for the Storm as well.
Both teams came out of the gate on fire as it was a high scoring affair from the opening tip. Southern Nazarene shot 44 percent and knocked down four triples while Northwestern shot 43 percent. After a back and forth battle in the opening frame, the Crimson Storm took a 22-18 lead into the second.
The Crimson Storm turned up the defense in the second quarter as they held the Rangers to a 23.5 percent shooting clip, while taking advantage on the offensive side to extend their lead. A
Payton Jones 28-foot triple gave SNU a 32-27 lead midway through, before
Alexus Jones buried a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the half to make it a 40-33 advantage for the Storm heading into the break.
Head coach
Trent May and company didn't take their foot off the gas in the second half, as they shot 52.6 percent from the floor in the 3
rd quarter, outscoring the Rangers 26-20 to take a 66-53 lead into the final frame. The Crimson Storm's suffocating defense came through once again in the final 10 minutes as they held Northwestern to a 38 percent shooting clip and bumped their lead 27 at 86-59 with 2:19 to play. From there, SNU was able to cruise to their first victory of the season.
Southern Nazarene will have one day to rest before picking back up Monday night on the road against rival Oklahoma Baptist in Shawnee. Tip-off from the Noble Complex is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
