KANSAS CITY, Mo.—Even 45 minutes was not enough on Saturday night as it took two overtimes for a winner to be decided, but it was ultimately Missouri Southern who came away with the 89-88 victory over the Crimson Storm, who were without leading scorer, Tyler Mcghie.
It was a wild end to the game that saw just about everything. The Crimson Storm (1-1) looked to be out of it multiple times late in the game, but they kept scratching their way back into the game. The team trailed by two with just three seconds remaining in the first overtime, but it was Jalen Lynn who extended the game, burying a game-tying jumper at the buzzer.
In the second overtime, SNU found themselves trailing by six with just over two minutes remaining and cut that deficit to just one, and found themselves trailing by four with just 40 seconds remaining, but again cut that deficit to just one. The Storm never got over the hump, though, missing a jumper at the buzzer to fall just short in the tough matchup.
The Storm took control in the first half, leading by as many as 12 points, but an 18-9 Missouri Southern run to close out the half would cut that lead all the way down to 39-36 as the teams headed into the locker rooms.
It was a drastic turn of events for the Crimson Storm offense in the second half. They buried over 53% of their shots in the first half before a huge drop off to just 31% in the second half. They were also 6-of-13 from beyond the arc in the first half before falling all the way down to a 3-of-14 showing in the second half.
Southern Nazarene slowly rebuilt their lead to 56-46 in the second half, but Missouri Southern was able to chip away over the final 11 minutes. They finally grabbed a 64-63 lead following a 17-7 run. The teams then traded buckets and eventually settled at 68 a side at the end of regulation.
The extended game led to four Storm members in double-figures. Jalen Lynn and Xavier Bryant led the way with 19 points a piece. Bryant was all over the place in a number of areas, adding 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals to go along with those 19 points.
Adokiye Iyaye matched his average from the 2021 spring season by notching 17 points with 3 makes from beyond the arc.
Mo Wilson II was the other to reach double-figures, totaling 11 points.
Maik Bouwer was a force on the glass, hauling in 13 rebounds to go along with his 7 points.
After playing 90 minutes in two days, Southern Nazarene will have a week to recover before returning to action. SNU will host Drury University next Friday for the home opener. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
