KANSAS CITY, Mo.—Southern Nazarene put on a show in their first bit of regular season action on Friday afternoon as they blew past St. Cloud State 87-52 to earn their first official win of the season.
Southern Nazarene (1-0, 0-0 GAC) led from start to finish as they dominated St. Cloud State (0-1, 0-0 NSIC) in every facet of the game. The Crimson Storm opened the game on a 16-3 run and never looked back. The lead grew as high as 27 in the first half as nothing the Huskies tried could slow down the Crimson Storm.
After slower starts offensively in their preseason contests, Southern Nazarene was on a mission on Friday afternoon. They knocked down shots left and right to the tune of a .645 shooting percentage and .600 three-point percentage in the first half. This led to a commanding 48-25 halftime lead for the Crimson Storm. Much of the offensive damage in the first half came from Adokiye Iyaye, who tallied 17 of his 21 total points in the opening 20 minutes. He knocked down three of the team's six first-half three-balls en route to his 17 first-half points.
Tyler McGhie took over the scoring load in the second half where he scored 11 of his 18 points. The Storm cruised throughout the second half and built their lead as high as 38 points. This allowed Coach Bohac to unload his bench and give plenty of his guys run, as well as rest the starters for tomorrow's contest.
Along with McGhie's 18 points, he also added 6 rebounds.
Manny Dixon contributed 10 points, while Jalen Lynn added 9, all coming from three makes behind the arc.
Xavier Bryant contributed in a number of ways with 7 points, 4 steals, 3 assists, and 3 rebounds.
Freshman Javon Jackson showed nice work in 14 minutes of action. He scored 7 points and swiped 2 steals.
Nick Davis had a game-high 9 rebounds to go along with his 4 points.
It is a quick turnaround for the Crimson Storm as they have less than 24 hours before returning to action in Kansas City. SNU will face off against Sioux Falls tomorrow morning with another 11:00 a.m. tipoff. Last season the Crimson Storm defeated Sioux Falls 73-52 in the same tournament to open the season.
