ARKADELPHIA, Ark. - The Crimson Storm returned after the holiday break to take on the Henderson State Reddies on the road in Arkadelphia. The No. 7 ranked Storm cruised past the Reddies, 75-53.

Southern Nazarene (11-0, 5-0 GAC) entered the game after breaking into the top 10 of the WBCA DII Poll. The No. 7 rank marked the highest ranking for the Crimson Storm in the DII era. The Storm looked to remain spotless on the season as they prepared for their matchup with Henderson State. SNU has won the last four meetings with the Reddies (6-5, 2-3 GAC) dating back to the 2022 season.

The Storm got off to a quick 4-0 start thanks to a few Hannah Giddey shots in the paint. The Reddies eventually responded before Lauryn Reither shut them down with a made three. Henderson State responded with a long ball of their own, cutting the SNU lead down to 9-5. The Storm stuck to their game plan, making shots in the paint and finding open threes to go ahead 21-15 at the end of quarter one. 

Carley Gasaway checked in for SNU making an impact immediately, sinking two three-pointers. The Reddies continued to attempt a response but the Storm made it difficult with their stifling defense. Gasaway went on to hit her third long ball of the quarter to give Southern Nazarene a 32-17 advantage. The two squads traded turns at the charity stripe adding more points to their sides of the scoreboard. Gassaway hit her fourth three with just over four minutes left to play, stretching the Storm lead even further. SNU hit a few last-chance shots in the paint to extend their lead 42-25 at halftime.

Reither opened up quarter three with a long ball to set the tone for the Storm in the second half. SNU continued to put the pressure on Henderson State in the paint and their defense making it hard for the Reddies to get any offense going. Hannah Giddey and Abbie Jiles's free throws extended the Southern Nazarene lead to 58-38 heading into the final quarter. 

SNU continued to see most of their success in the paint as they tacked on more points to their score. Gasaway hit her fifth long ball of the game stretching the Storm lead to 20 points. From there they continued to pound the paint making it impossible for a Reddie comeback. Southern Nazarene's dominance allowed them to stay perfect on the season with the final 75-53 victory.

The Crimson Storm was led offensively by Reither with 22 points as well as Gasaway who collected a career-high 19 points and six assists. Giddey collected her fourth double-double of the season with 13 points and 13 rebounds.

Next Up

Southern Nazarene will continue its road stint at Ouachita Baptist on Saturday, January 6th. The Storm is set to take on the Tigers at 1:00 p.m. in Arkadelphia.