BETHANY, Okla. — Southern Nazarene Men's Basketball returned to the court after Thanksgiving, taking on the Lions of the University of Arkansas Fort Smith, where they took care of business on their  home court and defeated the Lions 92-81.

13 offensive rebounds and 23 points off turnovers gave the Storm (3-1, 0-0 GAC) the edge they needed to get back in the win column on Saturday. The Lions (1-4, 0-0 LSC) gave SNU a good fight in the last few minutes of the ballgame, but were unable to contain the offensive powerhouse of the Storm who surpassed the 90-point scoring mark with four members in double digit scoring. 

Benno Zecic got SNU off to a hot start with a quick dagger from behind the arc and SNU held the lead from there until halftime. Tyrell Coleman's three ball lifted SNU to a six-point lead five minutes into the contest, but SNU's defense had trouble containing UAFS on the other end of the floor. The Lions found a small burst of energy and went on a 6-0 run that would eventually tie the ballgame at 14-all, but SNU was quick to respond on the offensive end. A Ben Baker McCann dunk and a Jaxon Edelmayer long ball helped pull SNU away by five-point lead once more. 

The Lions continued to inch closer on the scoreboard, finding ways to attack the Storm defense and get quick buckets. SNU made a Lions comeback more difficult with back to back long ball makes at the charity stripe, soon seeing a nine-point advantage with seven minutes remaining in the first half. Southern Nazarene was nearly unstoppable in those final few minutes, stringing together a huge 10-0 run to skyrocket to a 17-point lead at 39-22. 

The Lions sunk in a few back-to-back buckets to help close the gap, but SNU out-performed UAFS until the halftime buzzer, heading to the locker room with a 45-35 lead. 

SNU kept their speed and knocked down the first two buckets of the second half. The Lions were able sink in a couple of free throws to help lessen the deficit, but two Shawn Barthelemy jumpers and a Cam Slaymaker three-pointer kept SNU ahead by 18 points. UAFS did not back down, answering every offensive attack SNU delivered and they eventually cut the gap down to 14. 

Keeshawn Mason awarded SNU with back-to-back jumpers and Barthelemy followed with swishes at the free throw line and SNU was back in front by 17 with 11 minutes remaining in the ballgame. SNU continued to control the game from both fronts, using numerous Lion fouls to their advantage at the free throw line. With 7:20 left on the clock, Barthelemy sank in another free throw and allowed SNU to see their first 20-point lead of the game at 79-59. The teams traded three balls and went back-and-forth from there, with SNU still managing a large scoring gap with just a few minutes left to play. 

The Lions accepted the comeback challenge with three and half minutes on the clock, attacking the Storm defense with a 6-0 run chipping away at the deficit, bringing the game to just 11 points. Baker McCann quieted UAFS with two made free throws and Visser helped to stretch SNU's lead back up to 14 with a made bucket and two swishes at the charity stripe. The Lions were still determined to get back in the ballgame with the two minutes remaining, knocking down a few free throws and jumpers to close the gap to 10 points. 
Southern Nazarene felt the pressure and honed in on the defensive end, warding off the Lions until the final buzzer sounded, claiming the final victory of 92-81. 

Baker McCann had the hot hand for the Storm, recording a whopping 32 points for SNU and 13 rebounds. 
Slaymaker and Barthelemy also helped SNU reach the high scoring mark, adding in 16 and 14 points, respectively. 

Up Next

Southern Nazarene will begin their conference run on Thursday, November 30th in Durant, Oklahoma as they are set to take on the Savage Storm of Southeastern Oklahoma State at 7:30 p.m.