RUSSELLVILLE, Arkansas – Southern Nazarene seems to have the secret recipe for taking down Arkansas Tech as they earned their second win over the second-ranked GAC squad, this time, in Russellville by a final score of 67-52.
A few weeks ago, the Storm (10-10, 7-8 GAC) knocked off the Wonder Boys (15-6, 11-4 GAC) who were the top team in the GAC at the time, making a statement within the conference. Southern Nazarene stunned the Wonder Boys again, but on their home floor by 15 points.
The Storm held the Wonder Boys to a low of 30% shooting and 23% from the three, making it a tough night from the field for the home team. The Storm had the clear offensive upper hand with 48% shooting from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. SNU's three Storm players in double figures were also a key contribution to the win, with Bennon Zecic leading in scoring with a whopping 20 points.
Within the first four minutes from tip, Southern Nazarene battled from behind with the Wonder Boys ahead 9-4 at the 15 minute mark. The Storm flipped the switch from there and exploded with a 10-0 run and later a 7-0 run that put Arkansas Tech in a 10-point hole with seven minutes remaining in the first half. A few free throws later, Arkansas Tech was able to bring their deficit down to six points, but
Ben Baker-McCann and
Jonas Visser had other plans, dropping in the last three buckets of the half to help push SNU to a 30-18 lead at halftime.
Zecic lit up the gym at the start of the second half, burying back-to-back threes before Tech was forced to make some defensive adjustments. The Wonder Boys responded with a few buckets in the minutes after, but Zecic and Jaxon Edlemayer dropped in two more long balls, soaring the Storm to their largest lead so far at 19 points. A 6-0 SNU run at the 12 minute mark propelled SNU to a 23-point lead at 48-25, but Tech continued to find ways to chip away at the deficit.
The Wonder Boys found some light after battling for a 9-0 run with 11 minutes left in the ballgame, bringing their trail down to 13 points. Southern Nazarene did not seize their lead, finding ways to score from both the paint and teh outside to control a 15-point lead with just over four minutes remaining in the contest.
Tech was able to close the gap to 12 points, but SNU's performance at the free throw line proved to be lethal for the home team. After Zecic and Baker-McCann swished in a few at the charity stripe,
Shawn Barthelemy sealed the deal in the final minute of the ballgame, drawing the foul on two fast breaks to go 4-4 at the line, pushing SNU ahead 67-50 with 48 seconds left on the clock.
The game went down to just three possessions, but there was not enough time for Tech to make what would have been a miracle comeback. The Wonder Boys were able to sneak in one last bucket in the final possession, but SNU was already too far away and scraped the final 67-52 victory in Russellville, defeating the Wonder Boys for a second time this season.
Aside from Zecic's 20-point performance, Visser was another member in double-digit scoring with 10 points. Barthelemy came up huge off the bench, adding in 12 points and eight rebounds for the Storm.
Up Next
Following another big win on the road, Southern Nazarene will take on the Bisons of Harding for the second time this season on Saturday February 10th for a 3 p.m. tip-time. SNU defeated the Bisons almost a month ago at home and look to deliver a repeat on Saturday at their place.
