Box Score RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. - The Storm made their way to Arkansas for the final time this season as they took on the Golden Suns of Arkansas Tech. Southern Nazarene continued to prove why they are among the best in the nation after taking down Tech 74-38.

The Golden Suns (9-9, 6-8 GAC) met the Storm (21-0, 15-0 GAC) earlier this season in Bethany. Tech did not make things easy for SNU in the earlier matchup as SNU snagged the win in only the final few minutes of the contest. The story was written a bit differently this time as Southern Nazarene defeated the Golden Suns by a 36-point margin.

The Storm opened the contest with a 9-0 run before Tech got on the scoreboard. Tech added on a few free throws to cut the deficit to 11-4. SNU kept their foot on the gas, continuing to pour in the points. An Abbie Jiles three-ball helped lengthen the SNU lead once again. 

The Storm defense went to work making every possession for the Golden Suns a difficult one. SNU held ATU to six total points and 6.5% shooting from the field in the first quarter, leading the Golden Suns to fall behind 20-6. 

Lauryn Reither opened the second quarter with a long ball to get the Storm bench on their feet. Southern Nazarene kept the momentum going with a 6-0 run. That run came to an end on an Arkansas Tech three. 

Jiles then tacked on another three thanks to Emily Monaghan before ATU called for a timeout. SNU tacked on a few more points in the paint before Monaghan hit a big three to push the Storm ahead 40-11. Tech added on a few more layups to trail SNU 40-15 at the half.

Southern Nazarene kept their momentum going in the third quarter. Multiple free throws and points from Monaghan helped the Storm ward off Tech. Back-to-back Hannah Giddey layups stretched the SNU lead once more to 52-24. A Monaghan three-ball and a Reither layup gave the Crimson Storm a 57-26 advantage going into the final quarter.

Arkansas Tech opened up the final quarter with a fast break layup. SNU responded quickly with a layup from Shannon Burton and another long ball from Reither. The Storm tacked on a few more as did the Golden Suns before multiple subs entered the contest for both squads. 

Jillian Crawford entered the contest with a bang, knocking down a three to extend the SNU lead 72-37. Umi Otsuka laid in the final bucket for the Storm to finish off the Golden Suns with a final score of 74-38.

Reither led the Storm offensively with 18 points while Monaghan followed with 17 of her own. Giddey posted yet another double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. 

Next Up

The Crimson Storm will finish off their road trip with a visit to Harding to take in the No. 10 ranked Bisons. The Storm defeated the Bisons earlier this season inside the Sawyer Center. Tip-off is set for Saturday, February 10 at 1:00 p.m. in Searcy.