BETHANY, Okla.—The Crimson Storm were able to get back into the win column following a defensive struggle with Arkansas-Monticello as the Storm were able to fend off a pesky Weevil team with a 53-39 win inside the Sawyer Center.
Southern Nazarene (18-8, 13-7 GAC) lost their first game of the season to an Arkansas school last time out as Southern Arkansas was able to edge the Storm on Thursday, but SNU refused to fall again as they used big hustle plays throughout the second half to hold off Arkansas-Monticello (10-15, 6-13 GAC).
The teams really struggled offensively in the first half. Neither team shot over 35% as SNU went just 7-of-23 (30.4%) while Monticello connected on just 6-of-18 (33.3%) of their attempts. Despite the struggle from the floor, SNU never trailed in the game, grabbing the first couple of buckets in the contest and keeping the Weevils at arm's length before setting for a slim 18-17 halftime advantage.
The first eight minutes of the second half would be critical for Southern Nazarene as they rattled off a 17-4 run to build a 35-21 advantage. That was important because the team again went cold offensively from that point forward. SNU scored just seven points over the next nine minutes of play, allowing Monticello to cut the lead to just 42-39. Another run sealed the game, though, as the Storm closed the game out on a 10-0 run.
A huge turning point in the contest came with 2:15 remaining. After Monticello cut the Storm lead to just three, a flagrant foul called against Monticello allowed Tyler McGhie a chance for a pair of free throws. He calmly knocked both attempts down and proceeded to make it a five-point possession as he drilled a three-ball on the inbounds following the foul. McGhie finished the game with 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-4 from deep. In his last three games, McGhie is averaging 23.3 points per game on 59% shooting, including 50% shooting from the outside.
Xavier Bryant was the other Storm member in double-figures, scoring 13 points to go along with 4 rebounds and a pair of steals.
With Southern Arkansas's loss to Oklahoma Baptist on Saturday, SNU now sits in sole possession of fourth place, just one game behind Northwestern Oklahoma State for third place. The Storm will get their short at Northwestern on Thursday night as they travel to Alva to take on the Rangers. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. following the women's game.
