MONTICELLO, ARK. — Inching closer and closer to a GAC Regular Season Title, SNU earned itself a share Saturday afternoon, taking care of business in Monticello as they defeated the Blossoms by 18 points with a huge fourth quarter performance.
Neck and neck with UAM through the first three quarters, the Storm (22-4, 19-1 GAC) ran away with the game in quarter four, outscoring the Blossoms by 12 and holding them to just 27% shooting.
SNU battled back and forth with the Blossoms from opening tip, trading possessions to end the first quarter with a slim 18-17 lead.
The Storm grew to a five point lead a minute and half into quarter two, staying ahead for most of the quarter until the Blossoms rallied back to tie the ballgame at the half, 28-28.
SNU and Monticello continued to battle back and forth in quarter three, but SNU put together some solid plays in the last three minutes to end up with the six-point lead after the third at 48-42.
The Storm turned on the jets in the final quarter, sizing up on the defensive end while exploding for 22 total points to UAM's 10. SNU swished 7 of their 10 free throws in the final quarter while going 7-9 from the field, good for a 70-52 victory over the Blossoms.
Georgia Adams led in scoring with 18 points, also grabbing five boards and two assists.
Hannah Giddey finished with 17 points and eight boards, also recording seven assists and three blocks.
Cassandra Awatt finished with 16 points and nine boards while Emily Monaghan ended with 14 points, three boards and two steals and blocks a piece.
This win marks SNU's 12th consecutive victory, putting them one step closer to a Regular Season title. Southern Nazarene will return home Thursday, February 23rd for their last home contest of the season, matching up with Northwestern Oklahoma State at 5:30 p.m. A win over NWOSU will erase the share in the title and grant them full ownership, making it their first Regular Season title in the Division II era.
