ARKADELPHIA, Ark.—Southern Nazarene continues to rack up wins and they made it four wins in seven days in Arkansas with a 56-50 win over Henderson State on Monday night. The Storm have now won seven straight games overall.
It was all Southern Nazarene (11-5, 6-4 GAC) early on as the Crimson Storm jumped out to a 14 point first half lead. Henderson State (11-6, 7-4 GAC) showed fight in the second half and battled all the way back to take the lead, but ultimately the Storm prevailed with some clutch play down the stretch.
Tyler McGhie was an offensive force in the first half, helping SNU build their 34-21 halftime advantage. He poured in 13 points in the opening half, knocking down three triples along the way. He finished with 17 points. Jalen Lynn would close out the half with his own triple at the buzzer. He was the other Storm player in double figures with 10 points.
That was not the only big three that Lynn hit in the game, either. With the Storm holding a 51-48 lead and just over a minute to play, Lynn buried a three ball that would prove to be the dagger as Henderson never got back within a possession of the Crimson Storm.
After a respectable 45% showing in the first half, SNU really struggled from the field in the second half. The Storm knocked down just 6-of-20 (30%) shots from the field in that second half, including just 2-of-13 shots from deep.
Despite shooting just 10-of-17 (59%) from the free throw line in the game, Southern Nazarene was able to come through when it mattered most, hitting six of their final eight attempts at the line to close out the Reddies.
After a full week of action in Arkansas, the Crimson Storm will finally return home and quickly turn around to once again face off with Henderson State. The Reddies will make the trip to Bethany on Thursday as the teams meet for a second time in four days. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. following the women's game.
