MAGNOLIA, Arkansas — Southern Arkansas' defensive efforts couldn't hold on long enough to stall Southern Nazarene's game-long lead, handing the Storm their third consecutive road victory in Arkansas as they defeated the Muleriders 79-72.
One of the many matchups that have been delayed for nearly two years, Southern Nazarene finally made it back to Magnolia, carrying over the energy from their last meeting where they defeated SAU 69-57 in February of 2020.
53 rebounds and eight blocks made all the difference for the Storm (11-7, 6-5 GAC) as they faced a tough Muleriders (9-9, 4-8 GAC) defense and many unfortunate foul calls the entire contest. Yet, the Storm prevailed and ended up earning a 5th place spot in the conference standings, previously sitting at seventh.
Southern Nazarene showed a great offensive push in the first quarter, putting up 23 points to Southern Arkansas' 15, shooting 47 percent from the field, and knocking down three triples. Paint protector Abby Niehues blocked three shots that quarter, sending the Muleriders to trail by 8.
The Storm's early lead kept them alive in the second, maintaining as much as a 16 point lead midway through. The Muleriders didn't go down without a fight, getting as close as a single-digit scoring gap. Kennedy Gillette's two back-to-back steals halted the comeback, and the Storm headed into the half with an 11-point lead at 41-30.
Niehues, Gillette, Cassandra Awatt, and Jaycee Soap came out of the break and each contributed to a couple of buckets to put the Storm up by 17 just over six minutes in. SAU was able to knock down a few of their own later in the third, but the Storm stood tall, defending a 10 point lead (57-47) with one final quarter left to battle out.
Officiating would cause the Storm some fourth quarter foul trouble, sending Southern Arkansas trips to the charity stripe in hopes of bridging the gap. The Muleriders found themselves within eight with just under a minute remaining after a couple of jumpers and free throws landed true.
Emily Monaghan's made free throw would send the Storm up nine with 24 seconds on the clock. A late foul would give the Muleriders two foul shots, but the last five seconds would tick down, giving the Storm another celebration as they defeated Southern Arkansas 79-72 in Game 3 of the Arkansas series.
Niehues stuffed another stat sheet for the Storm, tallying 17 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks, and two steals, her fourth double-double of the season.
Awatt owned the boards that afternoon, grabbing a career-high 15 rebounds accompanied by 14 points, three steals, and a block, securing her fifth double-double of the season and her third in a row.
Gillette was just shy of a double-double herself, putting up 13 points to go along with nine boards, and four steals.
Monaghan poured in 13 points as well while grabbing two boards and two assists.
Jaycee Soap added nine points, along with three rebounds and a game-high five assists.
Lillie Smith and Lauryn Reither were key members off the bench combining for all of SNU's 13 bench points. Reither added five rebounds and four assists while Smith added three rebounds herself.
That leaves one game left in the Arkansas series up for grabs for the Storm as they are set to play Henderson State on Monday, January 24th at 4:00 p.m. 2020 was the last time the Storm has met with the Reddies, when they lost by four in the opening round of the GAC Championships.
