ADA, Okla. — Southern Nazarene earned their first conference road win of the season Saturday afternoon, fending off East Central 72-59 in Ada to move to 2-0 in GAC play.
The Storm (5-3, 2-0 GAC) lead for the majority of the contest and defended it all the way through, thanks to a huge 21-9 second quarter that put East Central far enough behind. The Tigers (3-3, 0-2 GAC) rallied back to a six-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter, but Southern Nazarene came up with huge possessions in the final minutes to bring the lead back up to double digits in the end.
The opening quarter went back and forth between the two teams as every SNU bucket was answered quickly by the Tigers. An East Central three-ball put the Tigers up by four with a minute remaining in the first quarter, but a pair of layups from Hannah Duncan and Cassandra Awatt tied the ballgame at 14 all to end the first 10 minutes.
The Storm quickly picked up the pace to start the second quarter as Duncan opened with a bucket from deep. The squads continued to trade buckets until SNU exploded for an 8-0 run followed by multiple made free throws, working for the 10-point lead with two minutes left. The Storm hunkered down on defense in the remaining minutes and Duncan let another one fly from beyond the arc, giving SNU the 35-23 lead at halftime.
SNU kept the Tigers out of reach midway through the third quarter until successful trips to the free throw line gave them the boost they needed and they were only down four at 44-40. Georgia Adams and Emily Monaghan worked to bring life back to SNU in the last few minutes, getting the Storm back up to a 10-point lead moving into the fourth quarter.
Midway through the fourth, two ECU three-pointers cut SNU's lead back down to four. Four Payton Jones free throws and a three-ball from Lauryn Reither allowed SNU some more momentum later in the fourth, which help build their lead back up to nine with a minute left. ECU was forced to foul for the extra stoppage, leaving SNU many successful trips to the free throw line, courtesy of Emily Monaghan and Reither. ECU had a few good looks in the remaining seconds, but SNU's lead was untouchable and the Storm moved to 2-0 with the 72-59 win.
The offense went well for SNU as five Storm players reached double digits in scoring. Jones led SNU with 14 points, two rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Adams was after her with 13 points and three boards.
Monaghan finished with 11 points, three assists, and two steals.
Off the bench, Duncan had an excellent game, scoring 10 to go along with five boards, two blocks, and a steal. Reither also pitched in 10 points along with three rebounds, and assist and steal.
Awatt totaled eight points, seven rebounds, and three steals. Hannah Giddey finished with four points, five boards, three assists, and four blocks.
SNU will have a week off before they are back on the road in Alva, Oklahoma as they take on Northwestern Oklahoma State Saturday, December 10th at 1:00 pm.
