ALVA, Okla. — Southern Nazarene continues to take care of business in the final stretch as they blew past Northwestern Oklahoma State for the second time this season with a 68-48 victory to close out their last conference road contest this season.
Not only did Southern Nazarene make it their seventh straight win over the Rangers, the Storm surpassed the 20-win marker that evening, an achievement that has not been seen since the 2012-2013 season.
22 forced turnovers and 36 points inside the paint kept the Storm (20-8, 15-6 GAC) at a distance for most of the contest, leading by as many as 21 late in the second quarter. The Rangers (15-12, 11-10 GAC) fought back early in the fourth to condense the lead down to 10, but SNU kept that comeback out of reach, going on a 4-0 run in the final few minutes to secure the win.
Emily Monaghan silenced the rowdy NWOSU crowd early in the first as she splashed three of her three attempts from beyond the arc, racking up an early nine points in the opening two minutes. Jaycee Soap wanted a piece of the action, sinking in two of her own from downtown, propelling SNU to a smooth-sailing 28-11 lead after the first.
The three-point frenzy went cold the rest of the way, but the Storm continued to keep their distance, leading Northwestern 41-21 going into the half.
Northwestern challenged this lead after the break, hitting all of their three three-point attempts to go along with 7-15 shooting. A 3-0 run by Northwestern midway through would cut the gap down to 12, but the Storm never let up, defending a 55-39 advantage moving into the final 10.
The Storm saw their lead close down to 10 as another Ranger rally helped them to score a quick seven points at the start of the fourth. That was the last sign of a comeback for NWOSU as SNU capped things off with some big-time buckets to help close their final conference road game with a 20-point victory over the Rangers
Sparking the Storm's sizzle was Monaghan as she went 3-3 from deep early in the first, helping to match her career high in scoring with 21 points, five rebounds, and a steal.
Paint protector Abby Niehues was almost perfect from the field, going 8-9 on the night while securing another double-double to her name, finishing with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and a game-high four blocks.
Soap was directing traffic all evening long, matching her career-high in assists with six, pouring in 12 points and three rebounds.
Kennedy Gillette added to the fire, securing eight points on the night to go along with five rebounds and three steals.
Cassandra Awatt did work in every category, tallying five assists, three steals, four rebounds, and six points.
The Storm will close out the regular season Saturday, February 26th as they face one of their most anticipated and toughest matchups all year. Sitting second in the GAC standings, SNU will tip-off with the first place Lady Bulldogs of Southwestern Oklahoma State, who have remained atop the standings all season long. The Storm will celebrate their seniors that afternoon as they will play on Bobby Martin Court one last time before heading to the conference tournament in early March. Seniors Abby Niehues, Kennedy Gillette, Jaycee Soap, and Alexus Jones will all be honored after the women's game as each have played pivotal roles in the success of Trent May's program. Tip-time this Saturday is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
