BETHANY, Okla.—It was a Senior Night to remember in the Sawyer Center as Southern Nazarene capped off a dominant 92-66 win over Northwestern Oklahoma State by cutting down the nets in celebration of their fourth Great American Conference regular season championship. The win completes a perfect home season for the Crimson Storm, who went 13-0 inside the Sawyer Center this season.
Southern Nazarene (24-3, 20-1 GAC) had already clinched the regular season championship last Thursday in Magnolia, and were joined by SNU's women's basketball team winning the regular season championship on Thursday night. It is the first time since the 2010-11 season that the same university won both the Men's and Women's regular season titles, and first time ever since the league expanded to 12 teams. Both teams celebrated their championships on the court following the men's game by cutting down the Sawyer Center nets.
Northwestern (11-14, 7-14 GAC) scored the first bucket of the game, but SNU responded with 14 straight points and never looked back. They exploded for 52 first half points and held a 28-point halftime advantage.
The lead slimmed to 17 points in the second half, but was never truly in jeopardy. The Storm rebuilt their lead and ultimately took a 26 point to close out their home season.
Seniors Adokiye Iyaye, Manny Dixon, Jalen Lynn, Mo Wilson II, and Maik Bouwer all got the start. Each senior scored and they combined for 37 points as they celebrated Senior Night in style.
Five different Storm players scored in double-figures with Tyler Mcghie leading the way. McGhie scored 24 points and also hauled in a season-high 8 rebounds. Javon Jackson followed with 17 points and 6 assists.
Adokiye Iyaye, Nick Davis, and Manny Dixon scored 13, 12, and 11, respectively.
With the No. 1 seed in the Great American Conference tournament locked up, Southern Nazarene hopes to continue rolling as they make a run at one of the top seeds in the NCAA Central Regional. SNU is currently tied for third in the region with Central Oklahoma, who lost to the region's top team Northwest Missouri State on Thursday night. SNU currently boasts the nation's top defense and ranks 13th in DII in scoring margin, defeating teams by an average of over 13 points per game.
SNU has one last regular season game left to play before the Great American Conference tournament. The Crimson Storm will travel to Weatherford to take on Southwestern Oklahoma State on Saturday. The Storm will need to continue bringing their A game in order to keep their 14-game winning streak alive. The Bulldogs took SNU to overtime earlier this season in Bethany and are now playing for the final spot in the conference tournament as they reside tied for 8th in the GAC. Tipoff with the Bulldogs is set for 3:00 p.m. in Weatherford.
