MONTICELLO, Ark.—Despite a strong effort from Arkansas-Monticello, Southern Nazarene secured their 13th straight victory in a 56-44 win over the Weevils on Saturday afternoon in Monticello.
Monticello (11-15, 7-13 GAC) came into the game with plenty of momentum, having defeated the GAC's second place team Southern Arkansas last Monday, and defeating Oklahoma Baptist by 18 points on Thursday. That momentum kept them in the game for a while, but ultimately they could not keep up with the top team in the GAC.
Southern Nazarene (23-3, 19-1) led by just three points at the break. They struggled offensively, shooting just 41% in the first 20 minutes, but once again the defense paved the way. The Storm allowed just 22 points in each half. It marked the sixth time this season that SNU has allowed less than 50 points to their opponent, including the previous game against Monticello in which they allowed just 37 points.
SNU slowly built their lead in the second half. Monticello continued to show fight, but SNU's talent proved too much. The lead grew as high as 15 points before the Crimson Storm settled for the 56-44 win.
Tyler McGhie led the Storm in the low-scoring affair. He scored 13 points and secured 2 steals on the defensive end.
Jalen Lynn scored 9 points on three makes from deep. Javon Jackson, Adokiye Iyaye, and Nick Davis each added 8 points in the game.
Southern Nazarene has already clinched their fourth Great American Conference regular season championship and are well on their way to the most dominant championship season in conference history. The previous largest gap in conference history came in the 2017-18 season when SNU won the conference by four games. After Saturday's results, the Storm now hold a six-game lead in the conference with just two games to play.
The first Central Regional top-10 rankings are set to come out on Tuesday. With two more wins under their belt, SNU is in prime position to find themselves near the top of the regional rankings.
Southern Nazarene will close the regular season next week. They host Northwestern Oklahoma State on Thursday in their final home game, before traveling to Weartherford on Saturday to take on Southwestern Oklahoma State. Thursday, February 23rd will be Senior Day, where SNU will honor their six seniors, Maik Bouwer, Xavier Bryant, Manny Dixon, Adokiye Iyaye, Jalen Lynn, and Mo Wilson II. Tipoff against the Rangers is set for 7:30 p.m.
