WEATHERFORD – The Southern Nazarene Women's Basketball Team traveled west down I-40 to Weatherford for a Great American Conference matchup against the Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon. After a resilient effort in the second half, SNU fell short of overcoming the deficit against SWOSU as they fell 91-76.
The Crimson Storm (2-5, 2-5 GAC) came into Saturday looking for their third win of the season after coming off a tough 75-62 loss at the hands of Southeastern Oklahoma State this past Thursday. SNU started the game off slow against the Bulldogs as they compiled 13 points to the 24 of the Bulldogs (9-1, 9-1 GAC). On the evening, Southern Nazarene finished with a 43.1% shooting clip, slightly lower than the 49.3 field-goal percentage Southwestern posted.
The scoreboard won't show that Storm held the advantage in the rebounds with 46 and shot 65% from the free-throw line. However, it was the 25-17 turnover margin that was the nail in the coffin for SNU as SWOSU was able to score 29 points off those giveaways alone.
Sophomore
Emily Monaghan led the way for Southern Nazarene as she posted a career-high 19 points while bringing down four rebounds and dishing out one assist.
Cassandra Awatt followed close behind with 17 points and fought around down-low to collect eight rebounds.
Freshman
Payton Jones continues to put up impressive numbers as she came off the bench to add a career-high 18 points and knock down a team-high four triples. Senior
Kennedy Gillette registered nine points, nine rebounds, and three steals. Another notable was
Georgia Adams who chipped in with eight points, three assists, and three steals.
After trailing 42-29 going into the break, SNU would erupt in the third quarter and outscore SWOSU 28-20. The Bulldogs would shut the door on any glimmer of hope in the final quarter of play, outscoring the Storm 29-19. This fourth quarter push eventually led to Southwestern handing SNU their fifth loss of the season.
Southern Nazarene will look to rebound next Thursday as they play host to the East Central Tigers (8-1, 8-1 GAC). Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 pm.
