BETHANY, Okla. — The energy was felt all around the Sawyer Center Thursday night as Southern Nazarene Men's Basketball knocked off Harding, 76-71, and erased their five-game losing skid to record their second conference win this season. 

The Storm (5-7,2-5 GAC) battled through 16 lead changes and eight total ties through their contest with the Bisons (5-8,2-5 GAC), ultimately pulling through in the final seconds, courtesy of Cam Slaymaker's 6-6 from the free throw line with under 40 seconds left on the clock. The sophomore's late free throw fire contributed to a total of 11 of the Storm's 18 free-throw makes in the game as well as his 26 total points against the Bisons, a season-high for him.

It was tough for either team to gain an edge in the first 20 minutes with the largest lead being five held by the Bisons late in the opening half. After trading points with Harding to start the contest, SNU's Slaymaker poured in a quick five points seven minutes in to help the Storm lead by four. Harding worked fast to get back on top by one, but SNU dished out another 5-0 run for the lead once more, leading 18-14 with just under 10 minutes left. 

The gap was close for the remainder of the first half until Harding knocked down a few free throws and a jumper to reach that five-point lead with one minute left in the first half. Slaymaker and teammate Ben Baker-McCann teamed up for back-to-back jump shots just before the halftime buzzer and SNU was able to snatch the one-point trail at 37-36 heading into the break. 

The fight for the lead continued on into the next 20 minutes with SNU fighting to stay ahead of Harding. Down by two five minutes in, Harding committed a costly turnover that allowed Benno Zecic to pick up the steal and go coast-to-coast for a huge dunk, tying the ballgame at 49-all with just under 15 minutes remaining in the contest. Zecic's dunk heightened the momentum for the Storm and allowed them to outscore the Bisons 10-3 over a three-minute period. Leading by four at 59-55, Harding worked to close the gap, getting the one-point trail after a long ball at the 6:30 mark. 

The lead teetered between the two squads until SNU narrowed their focus at the charity stripe where Slaymaker made the Bisons pay with six total free throw makes. Slaymaker put his team ahead by seven with 16 seconds left, making a Harding miracle near impossible. The Bisons were able to sneak in a bucket at the buzzer, but that was not enough to erase the deficit and SNU was in good spirits with the final 76-71 home victory. 

Slaymaker added to his 26-point performance with seven boards and two blocks. The other Storm member in double-figure scoring was Baker-McCann who recorded 14 with six rebounds and three assists. 

Tyrell Coleman came in big off the bench with nine points and three blocks and assists a piece. Keeshawn Mason did work on the boards with nine total rebounds. 


Up Next

SNU will have 24 hours to rest before they host Arkansas Tech on Saturday, January 13th at 3:00 p.m. The Wonder Boys have built quite the reputation this season, remaining unbeaten in conference up to this point.