BETHANY – The Southern Nazarene men's basketball team closed out the regular season in style, as their defense shined in a 55-41 victory over Southeastern Oklahoma State inside the Sawyer Center on Saturday afternoon.
The Crimson Storm (11-7, 11-7 GAC) had already locked up the No. 2 seed in the GAC Western division on Thursday night, meaning this game was all about gaining momentum for next week's conference tournament. And boy did the defense build momentum in a big way. SNU held the Savage Storm (7-10, 7-10) to 25.9 percent from the floor, including 5-of-37 (13.5%). The 13 percent from 3-point land and 41 total points are both season-bests for the Crimson Storm defense this season. SNU dominated the glass with a 47-35 rebounding advantage and they also bullied Southeastern in the paint to a 28-16 clip as well.
SNU's 14 fastbreak points doubled the Savage Storm while both teams turned the ball over 12 times, and both dished out eight assists. Southern Nazarene didn't have their best night offensively, as they shot 37.5 percent from the floor, 13 percent from 3-point range, and just 47.1 percent from the free-throw line. Their strong defensive performance however carried them right from the opening tip.
Junior guard
Adokiye Iyaye led the way in scoring for head coach
Adam Bohac and company as he finished the game with 16 points, two rebounds, and two assists.
Nick Davis was the only other SNU scorer to finish in double figures as he registered 10 points and collected eight rebounds.
Manny Dixon poured in nine points to go along with seven rebounds while
Xavier Bryant once again stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, six rebounds, and a couple of assists.
Maik Bouwer added five points, six rebounds, and two steals while
Karlyn Kenner pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds to go along with three points, two assists, and one steal.
Jackson Rothwell also came in late to get his first points of the season, going 2-for-2 at the free-throw line.
It was a sluggish start for both teams as Southern Nazarene shot just 32 percent in the opening 20 minutes while Southeastern posted a 24 percent clip. After both teams flexed their muscles defensively, a Bouwer layup gave SNU an 11-7 lead with 10:44 to play in the first half. A few minutes later, an Iyaye triple made it 16-10 before a Bryant layup pushed it to 22-12 with 2:29 remaining. After Southeastern buried a three on the next possession, neither team scored in the final 2:12 as SNU took a 22-15 lead into the halftime break. The 15 points allowed by Southern Nazarene in the first half was a season-best for the SNU defense in any half.
SNU's offense picked up in the second half as they shot 47.1 percent in the final 20 minutes but took only 17 field goal attempts. In a weird half of basketball, the Crimson Storm shot 31 free-throws in the second half, a season-high in any half this season for SNU. Their defense held strong as Southeastern shot just 27.6 percent in the final frame including a 2-for-20 clip from downtown.
An Iyaye layup with 14:31 remaining pushed the Crimson Storm lead back to double digits at 30-20 before Iyaye knocked down a free-throw to push it to 38-24 six minutes later. The final eight minutes of the contest were quite eerie as SNU didn't take many field goals but spent most of their time at the free-throw line. The Crimson Storm took its largest lead of the game at 44-25 after a Davis layup with 6:35 to play. SNU was able to fend off the Savage Storm in the waning minutes as they closed the regular season with a victory on their home floor.
Southern Nazarene will now play the waiting game as they face the winner of Henderson State and Harding who play on Monday night in the opening round of the GAC Tournament. The winner of that contest will make the trip to Bethany and take on the Crimson Storm inside the Sawyer Center on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m.
