BETHANY, Okla.—Southern Nazarene appeared to be on their way to a conference opening win, but a disastrous final five minutes led to a 51-50 defeat at the hands of East Central on Thursday night inside the Sawyer Center. The loss snapped SNU's three game winning streak.
Southern Nazarene (4-2, 0-1 GAC) held an 11 point lead with just under six minutes to play, but the offense seemed to hit a wall from that point on. With a 49-38 lead and 5:46 on the clock, SNU went 0-for-7 from the field and turned the ball over five times the rest of the way. East Central (2-4, 1-0 GAC) capitalized with a 13-1 run to close out the game and steal the win.
East Central battled all the way back to tie the game at 50 a side with under two minutes to play. The teams then traded misses and the Crimson Storm were left with the chance to regain the lead with 40 seconds remaining. After a miss, Mo Wilson II made a huge play to tie up the ball on the rebound and keep possession with SNU. Another turnover would haunt the Storm, though, as with 13 seconds on the clock SNU threw the ball away on the inbounds. East Central made their way back down court and attacked the basket, drawing a foul. Splitting the free throws, Southern Nazarene was then left with one last chance down one point and four seconds on the clock. Jalen Lynn got a fairly good look from deep, but the ball would clank off the back iron as time expired, giving East Central the one point win.
Even before the late cold streak, the Storm struggled to find their shooting stroke in the second half. Over the final 20 minutes, SNU shot just 7-for-27 (.259), including 1-for-7 (.143) from the outside. Their 20 point second half total was the lowest scoring output in a half this season.
Free throws also continue to be a problem for SNU, who hit just 9-of-16 (.563) shots from the line. As a team the Crimson Storm are hitting just .616 from the line on the year.
Manny Dixon and Mo Wilson II were the only Storm players in double figures as each scored 10 points. Wilson II would also add 8 boards, 4 steals, 3 assists, and 2 blocks. Dixon hauled in 6 rebounds while also chipping in a pair of steals and a pair of assists.
Nick Davis nearly came away with a double-double in just 17 minutes of action, totaling 9 points and 9 rebounds.
After a four game homestand, Southern Nazarene will now have to rebound on the road in a tough matchup with Southeastern Oklahoma State on Saturday. SNU took two of three over the Savage Storm last season, winning the regular season finale 55-41 over the Savage Storm. The Crimson Storm will hope to make it three of four over Southeastern on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 3:00 p.m. following the women's game.
