Arkadelphia, Ark.—In a game that was pushed back one day due to weather in Arkansas, Southern Nazarene survived a hardfought 58-54 game at Henderson State on Friday night.
A cold night in Arkadelphia made its way inside the Duke Wells Center as both teams struggled from the floor, shooting just 41% each. The difference in the game came from behind the arc, though, as despite the struggles from the floor overall, Southern Nazarene (17-3, 13-1 GAC) was able to knock down 8-of-20 (40%) shots from deep, while Henderson State (8-12, 5-9 GAC) connected on just 3-of-12 (25%) shots from the outside.
Typically this season, the Crimson Storm have jumped out to quick starts and built early leads, but that was certainly not the case on Friday. After scoring the game's first bucket, SNU surrendered an 11-0 run. Unfazed, Southern Nazarene clawed back into the game and eventually held a 30-29 lead at halftime.
SNU's lead grew in the second half and they never trailed, but the win did come without a fight. Henderson showed resiliency and turned an 11 point deficit into just a 3 point deficit with three minutes still to play. The Storm still held a 57-54 advantage with 24 seconds remaining. At the line with a chance to push the lead to two possessions, the Storm missed the front end of a one-and-one, allowing the Reddies an opportunity to tie. Reddies guard, Malik Riddle had a good look at the basket, but it came up short. SNU secured the rebound and proceeded to knock down 1 of 2 free throws to finally ice the game.
Tyler McGhie and Javon Jackson tied for the team lead with 13 points each. Nick Davis added 9 points to go along with 5 rebounds. He also came up big defensively with three blocks, including a big four-point swing in the second half that saw a Davis block on one end of the floor and a Davis slam on the other end.
Uncharacteristically, the Crimson Storm struggled a bit at the line in this game. They shot 10-of-18 (55.6%), helping keep Henderson State in the contest. Despite the struggles on Friday night, SNU still ranks as one of the top free-throw shooting teams in the country. They rank 16th in that category at 77.5% this season.
Southern Nazarene entered the season ranked No. 12 in the preseason polls, but dropped out of the rankings after a couple of early losses. Since then, the Crimson Storm have won 15 of their last 16 games and have climbed back to No. 20 in the NABC Coaches Poll. During that run they have not allowed more than 66 points in any game and continue to rank as the top scoring defense in the country at 56.8 points allowed per game.
The Storm will have a rare Saturday off tomorrow after games were rescheduled due to weather. SNU will then take on Ouachita Baptist in Arkadelphia on Sunday afternoon. Ouachita comes in having won 3 of their last 4 games, including a 77-65 win over Oklahoma Baptist on Friday night. Southern Nazarene's 74-66 win over the Tigers in Bethany earlier this season marked five straight wins over Ouachita, dating back to January 2020. Tipoff with the Tigers is set for 3:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, following the women's game.
