BETHANY, Okla.—Southern Nazarene quieted the fans at the Noble Complex with an emphatic 80-66 win over rival Oklahoma Baptist University on Monday night. The win marked the Storm's fourth consecutive victory overall.
Oklahoma Baptist (10-7, 7-4 GAC) started quickly by taking an early 8-2 lead, but the Crimson Storm (14-3, 10-1 GAC) quickly responded with an 11-0 run and never trailed again. The game remained tight throughout the first half as SNU took a slim 37-33 lead into the locker room.
The second half saw the Storm take control of the game with a big 14-0 run that built their lead to 16 points. OBU never got back within single digits as the Crimson Storm maintained a comfortable lead throughout the second half.
A turning point in the game came after Oklahoma Baptist cut the deficit to 10 points. The Bison then thought they had forced a stop and had a chance to get back within single-digits, but a loose ball ended up in the hands of Tyler McGhie, who drilled a three-pointer to put SNU back up 13. The following possession, Nick Davis put an exclamation on the game with a thunderous tomahawk dunk. A step-back three from Javon Jackson with just under a minute and a half to play was the dagger, pushing SNU's lead back to 16 points.
SNU shot 52% from the floor in the game, their seventh game shooting over 50% this season.
Nick Davis had a big game for the Storm down low. He poured in a team-high 19 points and hauled in 7 rebounds.
Javon Jackson finished with 18 points and 4 assists, while Jalen Lynn scored a season-high 13 points on 3 makes from deep. Tyler McGhie added 11 points and 6 rebounds.
Adokiye Iyaye returned to the Storm lineup and contributed 5 points and 5 boards.
After three wins in six days to remain atop the Great American Conference standings, SNU will have a couple of days off to recover before hosting Arkansas-Monticello on Thursday night. SNU has won four straight over the Weevils. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m., following the women's game.
