SHAWNEE, Okla. — Southern Nazarene received all the love Monday night as they pushed past OBU 53-42 over in Shawnee Valentine's Day evening.
The holiday came with a lower scoring affair as the Storm (17-8, 12-6 GAC) only broke the 50-point marker by three points, shooting just over 32 percent from the field. The Bison (12-12, 8-10 GAC) struggled to find any sort of offensive rhythm, shooting right at 25 percent from the outside while putting up a slim 42 points that evening.
The Bison challenged the Storm early on, defending a seven-point lead after the first quarter. The shots started to fall for the Storm as their 20-point eruption in the second quarter reclaimed their lead, putting them up by two (27-25) over the Bison heading into the break.
OBU fought for some momentum throughout the third, but SNU went on a 5-0 run late in the quarter, helping them to an 11-point advantage over the Bison, which would become their largest lead of the contest.
A couple of free throws rolled in for the Bison, putting them back within six right at three minutes remaining in the fourth. Jaycee Soap silenced this potential comeback as she buried a three from the top of the arc, extending SNU's gap to 51-42 with 50 seconds remaining.
Already with a double-double in her pocket that evening, Cassandra Awatt sunk in two foul shots to cap off SNU's scoring for the night.
The Storm would milk the clock in the final few seconds after an OBU turnover, propelling the Storm to a 53-42 win over the Bison.
Awatt continued her work on both ends, picking up her 11th double-double on the season with her 14 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
Abby Niehues also snuck in a double-double with her 10 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks on the night.
Soap finished with six points and rebounds while grabbing two steals.
Emily Monaghan added seven points and three rebounds while Gillette finished with four points and nine rebounds.
The Storm will be back in the Sawyer on February 17th to host Southern Arkansas with tip-time scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
