BETHANY – Southern Nazarene's 14-game winning streak dating back to last season was snapped on Saturday afternoon, as SNU Men's Basketball fell 72-64 to East Central inside the Sawyer Center. It is the first loss for SNU on their home floor since early November of 2019.
 
19 turnovers and a 36.0 percent shooting clip plagued the Crimson Storm (1-1, 1-1 GAC) in their home opener as the Tigers were red hot, making 24-of-47 (51.1%) of their field goals. ECU also shot 5-of-10 (50%) from 3-point land, as the Storm struggled to a 6-of-20 (30%) clip from downtown. The Tigers won the rebounding battle 36-30, and handled SNU in the paint with a 38-24 margin. East Central also got a huge spark from their bench, racking up 33 points compared to just two points for the Crimson Storm off the bench. Southern Nazarene forced 20 turnovers from East Central and converted 22-of-30 (73.3%) from the free-throw line.
 
Junior forward Mo Wilson II had an excellent game for SNU as he finished with a game-high 23 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the field and also added a game-high four steals, a career-high for Wilson. Adokiye Iyaye finished with 16 points on an efficient 4-of-6 from the floor, including knocking down 3-of-4 tries from behind the 3-point arc. Manny Dixon also finished in double figures for SNU with 15 points, nine of those coming from the free-throw line. Dixon also added five rebounds and two steals.
 
Maik Bouwer dominated the glass for the Storm, as he finished with a career-high 13 rebounds to go along with four points and four assists as well. Karlyn Kenner fouled out of the contest with four points and two steals, while Nick Davis tallied two points and two rebounds.
 
Southern Nazarene's slow offensive start in the first half turned out to be the difference maker as the Storm made just seven field goals in the opening 20-minutes. After an Iyaye 3-pointer gave SNU an early 5-4 lead, East Central ripped off a 17-4 run to take a 21-9 lead in the first nine minutes. The Tigers shot 61.5 percent from the floor in the first half and later extended their lead to 17 just before halftime.
 
Facing a 14-point halftime deficit, the Crimson Storm never went away. They turned up the defensive intensity in the final 20 minutes, holding ECU to a 38.1 percent shooting clip, trying to claw back into the contest. A Dixon free-throw with 12:54 remaining cut the Tiger lead to 45-40, and again with 2:56 to make it 58-54, but the Tigers wouldn't let them any closer. ECU converted free-throws in the final minutes to close out the Crimson Storm in the Sawyer Center.

East Central was led in scoring by Brennen Burns, who finished with 22 points and seven rebounds. Jalen Crutchfield was the only other Tiger in double-figures with 13 points while Tylor Arnold finished with nine points and Josh Apple finished with eight.
 
Southern Nazarene will have another quick turnaround as they gear up for their second of a three-game home stretch on Monday night against rival Oklahoma Baptist. Tip-off with the Bison is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. inside the Sawyer Center.