SPRINGFIELD, Mo.—Southern Nazarene welcomed the return of freshman sharpshooter Tyler McGhie as his 29 points helped the Storm erase a four-game skid with a convincing 75-64 win over Drury University in SNU's final game before the holiday break.
McGhie dropped 25 points in the opening game of the season before an injury would cause him to miss the following eight games. He wasted no time picking up where he left off, though, draining 7 three balls as Southern Nazarene (5-5, 0-4 GAC) controlled Drury (4-6, 1-1 GLVC) from the opening tip.
Drury would collect the first bucket of the game but that came to be their only lead of the game as McGhie knocked down his first couple of triples on back-to-back offensive possessions. The Storm never looked back from there, building a lead by as many as 19 points before settling for a 43-27 halftime advantage.
It was not just McGhie showing off his range on Saturday night. The team totaled an incredible 11 first half makes from the outside, including four off the hands of Adokiye Iyaye. Iyaye finished with 15 points and 6 boards.
After shooting over 53% in the first half, the Storm cooled off tremendously in the second half. They hit just 33% of their second half shots, including just a 2-for-14 (14%) clip from the outside. Despite the shooting struggles, SNU was able to maintain a double-digit lead throughout the second half. The Panthers climbed within 10 on three separate occasions, but Southern Nazarene would fend them off with their only mini run each time.
The team continues to show great ball movement, notching 15 assists for the second consecutive game. Of those 15 assists, 13 of them came in the first half. Xavier Bryant led the way in the department with 6, while Jalen Lynn added 5 of his own.
The win is a nice way for the Storm to close out the first half of the season as they attempt to build momentum heading into a tough conference stretch following Christmas break. SNU will now have nearly two weeks off before returning to Great American Conference play with a trip to Arkansas. The Storm will have a Thursday meeting in Arkadelphia with Ouachita on Dec. 30 before battling Henderson State on New Year's Day. Tipoff with Ouachita is set for 7:30 p.m. following the women's game.
