ADA, Okla. – For the first time this season, the Southern Nazarene men's basketball team has won three straight games as they escaped East Central 63-61 inside the Kerr Activities Center on Saturday afternoon.
Junior guard
Adokiye Iyaye stole the show as he hit the shot of the day, a clutch layup with 1.4 seconds remaining to give the Crimson Storm (9-6, 9-6 GAC) the late lead on the road. The win makes it three straight wins for head coach
Adam Bohac and company as well as winners of four of their last five. The pivotal victory also solidifies SNU's second place position in the Oklahoma division of the GAC standings with just three regular season games to play.
Iyaye finished the game with 15 points to go along with a couple of rebounds while junior
Manny Dixon led the way for the Crimson Storm with a game-high 18 points on an efficient 7-of-14 from the floor. The guard also added five rebounds and a 3-of-4 clip from the free-throw line.
Xavier Bryant was the third Storm scorer to finish in double-figures as he tallied 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting.
Nick Davis continued his solid play in the paint as the sophomore chipped in with eight points and six rebounds while
Karlyn Kenner added four points and three rebounds. SNU dominated the glass on Saturday, out-rebounding the Tigers (7-7, 7-7 GAC) 39-28 for the game. The Storm's nine offensive rebounds played pivotal as they finished the game shooting 42.9 percent from the floor. They struggled from behind the 3-point line, making just 5-of-22 (22.7%) attempts, but made up for that at the free-throw line as they converted 16-of-22 (72.7%).
SNU forced 11 turnovers out of the Tigers and outscored ECU 32-26 in the paint. ECU dished out 10 assists compared to just four for the Storm, but SNU's 58 percent shooting clip in the second half made all the difference in the game.
The first half of the contest was a defensive battle as Southern Nazarene shot just 34.4 percent from the field. East Central shot 54.5 percent but turned the ball over seven times and allowed SNU to hang around. After the Tigers got a dunk with 2:03 to take a 25-21 lead, SNU closed the half on a 7-3 run to tie the game 28-28 heading into the halftime break.
Shots started to fall in the second half for the Storm as they shot 58 percent from the field. They also were a lot more aggressive offensively as they forced fouls and went to the free-throw line 16 times, compared to just six in the opening 20 minutes. The Crimson Storm picked up their defensive intensity in the final frame as well, holding ECU to 38.1 percent and just eight made field goals. The Tigers hung around with 19 trips to the free-throw line as they game had all the makings for a nail biter in the final five minutes.
After Davis buried a free-throw with 4:31 to play to give SNU a 52-47 lead, East Central tied it at 52-52 a minute later. Both teams traded buckets before ECU knocked down a couple of free throws to take a 59-58 lead with 1:27 left. On the next possession, Iyaye was fouled and he converted both freebies to give the Storm a 60-59 lead with 59 seconds left. After a defensive stop and one more Davis free-throw, SNU held a 61-59 lead with 37 seconds remaining before Iyaye fouled ECU's Matt Garriga on a 3-point try. After Garriga knocked down the first two free-throws to tie it at 61-61, a smart timeout from head coach
Adam Bohac iced him as he missed the third. SNU had the ball with one possession to try and win it in the remaining seconds. The Storm put the ball in Iyaye's hands and the rest is history. The guard drove in the lane and kissed a beautiful floater off the glass with 1.4 seconds to play. After that, SNU's defense held strong in the final second to give the Storm the crucial victory.
Southern Nazarene will face another tough test on the road Monday night as they travel to Shawnee to take on rival Oklahoma Baptist. Tip-off is scheduled 7:30 p.m. from the Noble Complex.
