BETHANY, Okla. - The No. 6 ranked Crimson Storm returned to the Sawyer Center to take on the No. 13 ranked Harding Bisons for a top-25 showdown. A second-half surge helped Southern Nazarene claim the victory, 60-51, handing the Bisons their first conference loss of the season.

The Crimson Storm (13-0, 7-0 GAC) looked to find success once again in a GAC Championship rematch with the Bisons (11-2, 6-1 GAC). Southern Nazarene has claimed the last three meetings with the Bisons dating back to the 2022-23 season. Both teams entered the contest perfect in conference play before the Bisons let their first-half lead slip, leading to an SNU win number 13.

Both squads struggled to find their footing early leaving the contest scoreless for the first four minutes. The Bisons eventually struck first with a jumper and the two squads traded points from there. An SNU turnover led to a Bisons long ball stretching their lead, 9-5. The Crimson Storm responded with two made free throws before Harding dominated in the paint for the final minutes of the quarter to lead 13-8. 

Harding opened up quarter two with another three-ball. The Storm stayed calm, utilizing trips to the charity stripe to chip away at the Bisons' lead. Harding's lockdown defense began to make an SNU comeback difficult as the Storm struggled to find a way to score. The Bisons challenged the Storm defense in the paint for the remaining minutes of the quarter, but SNU began an attempt to creep back. The time eventually ran out on the clock leaving Southern Nazarene in a bit of a hole, 30-18, at the half.

The Crimson Storm had their first taste of adversity of the season and were not afraid. The Storm took over, opening quarter three with an 8-0 run. Hannah Giddey and Lauryn Reither went to work in the paint, picking apart the Harding defense. A Giddey block and rebound led to a Reither and-one to snag the lead for the first time in the contest 33-32. 

Harding responded, but Giddey found Jena Bay who hit a three-pointer that erupted the Sawyer Center, grabbing back the momentum for SNU. The Bisons tied the score once again with a trip to the charity stripe, 36-36. Reither found herself at the foul line once again, hitting two shots to give Southern Nazarene a two-point lead heading into the final quarter. 

The Storm struck again, opening the fourth quarter with a 5-0 run. A Bisons jumper halted the SNU run, but Reither hit a long three which got the Southern Nazarene crowd on their feet. Harding continued to respond, cutting the Storm lead 45-41. Emily Monaghan found an open Reither who sank yet another three to extend the Southern Nazarene lead once again.

The Bisons headed to the charity stripe where they snagged a single free throw and a layup off of a rebound to cut the lead to 48-44. Monaghan scored and was then fouled, collecting a free throw to stretch the SNU lead once again, 51-44. Harding went to the line as well, cutting the lead 51-46. The clock began to wind down and the Bisons began to foul, sending numerous Crimson Storm members to the foul line. Giddey would be the last to hit a free throw with just under 30 seconds remaining on the clock, leading to a Harding timeout. After the quick break, the Bisons fired one last three but were unsuccessful, leaving Abbie Jiles to snag the rebound to secure the victory, 60-51.

Reither led the Storm offensively, collecting a career-high 26 points to go alongside six rebounds. Giddey was tremendous in the paint, collecting 17 points and seven rebounds. 

Next Up

The Storm look to continue their success as they take on the Arkansas Tech Golden Suns on Saturday, January 13th inside the Sawyer Center. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m. in Bethany.