BETHANY – A rough first half plagued Southern Nazarene on their home floor on Thursday night, as their valiant second-half comeback fell short 64-51 at the hands of East Central.
 
The Crimson Storm (5-5, 5-5 GAC) were held to a season-low 12 first-half points and a 27.3 percent shooting clip as they failed to make a 3-pointer in the opening 20 minutes. The Tigers (5-5, 5-5 GAC) shot 43.8 percent in the opening frame and SNU quickly faced a double-digit deficit. The Storm were much more aggressive in the second-half as they tried to mount a comeback of the ages. They cut the lead to nine with a little over 4:00 to play, but the Tigers slammed the door on SNU.
 
Junior guard Manny Dixon finished with a game-high 15 points to go along with eight rebounds, three assists, and three steals. He also went 9-for-11 from the free-throw line. Adokiye Iyaye was the only other Storm player in double-figures as he finished with 14 points and four rebounds. Karlyn Kenner tallied six points while Mo Wilson II chipped in five points, four rebounds, and two assists. Maik Bouwer and Xavier Bryant each had four points as well.
 
For the game, Southern Nazarene finished with a 34.7 percent shooting percentage compared to 50 percent for East Central. The Tigers out rebounded SNU 37-28 and outscored the Storm 34-26 in the paint. Both teams turned the ball over 12 times, while SNU's defense produced five blocks. ECU finished 8-for-13 (61.5%) from the free-throw line while the Crimson Storm finished 13-of-21 (61.9%) from the charity stripe.
 
Southern Nazarene will hit the road on Saturday as they travel to Alva to battle Northwestern Oklahoma State. It will be the first matchup with the Rangers since the season opener a month ago. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.