BETHANY, Okla.—The new Bobby Martin Court was ushered in with an 80-71 win over Drury University on Friday night.
The Crimson Storm (2-1, 0-0 GAC) were forced to overcome some adversity as a slow offensive start saw the team face an early six point deficit. SNU flipped the script on Drury (1-2, 0-0 GLVC) late in the first half, though, putting together a 12-2 run that gave SNU their own six point advantage. They settled for a 40-37 halftime advantage following a late three from Drury.
The teams were almost identical from the floor as the Panthers shot 25-of-53 (47.2%), while the Storm knocked down 31-of-66 (47.0%) of their shots. The biggest difference in the game came in the turnover department as SNU's defense forced Drury into 16 turnovers. They turned that into 21 points while only turning the ball over 6 times for 6 Drury points.
Southern Nazarene maintained a slim lead throughout the majority of the second half, but again were faced with adversity after allowing a 9-0 Panther run that gave Drury a 62-60 lead with under seven minutes to play. The Storm were up to the task, though, erasing that 9-0 run with an 11-2 run of their own that pushed SNU's lead back out to 71-64. After starting just 3-for-8 from the charity stripe, SNU cleaned up their struggles by closing out the game knocking down 11 of their last 12 free throw attempts.
There were plenty of solid performances to go around for Southern Nazarene. Newcomer Jalen Lynn built off of his 19 point performance in Kansas City with a 21 point showing on Friday night. Adokiye Iyaye continues to up his point totals through three games, notching 19 in this one.
Xavier Bryant was a stat-stuffer all night. He finished with 12 points, 8 assists, 5 steals, and 4 rebounds.
Mo Wilson II was the other Storm member in double-figures with 10 points, while Eain Mowat was just behind him with 8 points on a perfect 3-for-3 shooting night. Nick Davis also collected 8 points while swatting away 3 shots.
With a successful home opener behind them, Southern Nazarene can now look forward to a string of three more home games before hitting the road again. The Storm will square off with rival Oklahoma Christian on Tuesday night before a big meeting with top-20 opponent Dallas Baptist next Saturday. Tipoff with Oklahoma Christian is set for 7:30 p.m. inside the Sawyer Center.
