BETHANY – 304 days. 43 weeks. Call it almost 10 months if you want. That's how long it's been since Southern Nazarene athletics last competed in any kind of contest. Although COVID-19 has flipped everyone's world upside down, one thing it didn't change? A strong defensive effort from the Crimson Storm.
In a bizarre atmosphere inside the Sawyer Center with no fans in attendance, SNU tried to shake off some rust and find a groove as the 2020-21 season gets under way. They did just that as they took down the University of Science & Arts 77-56 in an exhibition contest on Tuesday afternoon. The Crimson Storm's defense shined as they forced 19 turnovers out of the Drovers (4-1) while holding them to a 3-of-23 (13%) shooting clip from 3-point range.
Southern Nazarene lost two of its top players in program history in the offseason, leaving many to wonder who would carry the load this season. Junior guard
Manny Dixon answered that call in high fashion, anchoring the Storm offense with 22 points, six rebounds, and five assists on 9-of-16 shooting and going 4-for-9 from 3-point territory. Sophomore guard
Karlyn Kenner also had a great start to the season, tallying 18 points (all coming in the first half) as he drained a team-high five triples.
Maik Bouwer led the way in the frontcourt as he registered 13 points to go along with four rebounds and three assists. After missing much of last season to injury, junior forward
Mo Wilson II put up nine points and a team-high seven rebounds while also dishing out four assists as well. The two offseason transfers
Adokiye Iyaye and
Xavier Bryant both got their feet wet with six points as the duo are expected to be a big part of the SNU offense this season.
The three-time reigning Great American Conference regular season champs wasted no time at all in making their presence felt against the Drovers as they leapt out to a quick 16-2 lead seven minutes in. The Storm didn't take their foot off the gas, as they shot 53.1 percent from the field in the opening 20-minutes and racked up 47 points to take a 25-point lead into halftime.
USAO came out firing in the second half by shooting 45.2 percent and cutting the SNU lead to 54-38 at the 12:38 mark and later made it 59-45 with 7:53 to play. The Storm turned on the gas in the final seven minutes to lead the Drovers out of the Sawyer Center with a 21-point loss.
Southern Nazarene will officially open the GAC season on Thursday night in Alva as they take on Northwestern Oklahoma State. Game time is to be determined in that contest.
