ALVA, Okla. – In their last regular season road game, Southern Nazarene dropped a tough battle to the third ranked team in the conference, Northwestern Oklahoma State, by eight points in Alva. 

This was the same exact result the Storm (13-13, 10-11 GAC) faced back in December when they first met with the Rangers (16-11,14-7 GAC) at home, falling again by the same score 82-74. In Thursday evening's contest, SNU was stronger across the boards, leading NWOSU by seven at halftime. The Rangers turned the tables in the final half, hitting rounds of free throws and intensifying their defense to steal the eight-point victory again from the Storm. 

Jonas Visser and Tyrell Coleman teamed up for the opening six-point run before the Rangers could score a point. The two teams battled within the next few possessions with NWOSU only trailing by a few. Benno Zecic was able to put the Storm ahead by six after a Visser block that allowed him to sink in the fast break layup. The Rangers made up for it on the offensive end with a few back to back jumpers and free throws, closing the gap down to 19-18 with seven minutes left in the opening half. 

After a Keeshawn Mason layup, the Rangers achieved their first lead of the contest after a 6-0 run of their own, leading by three with a little over five minutes left in the first half. The Storm fought hard on defense, snatching a few steals and defensive rebounds for another 6-0 run all from layups. This forced the Rangers to take a timeout, but that did not stop the Storm as Visser and Zecic sunk in a few layups in the final few minutes to lead NWOSU 35-28 heading into the break. 

The whistles were working at the start of the second half as both teams made trips to the free throw line. Cam Slaymaker's two swishes kept SNU ahead by three at 40-37, and then it became a offensive duel in the next few possessions. Mason was able to give his team an edge with a few buckets inside, but NWOSU found every opportunity to tack on more points, drawing more fouls and hitting shots from everywhere on the floor. 

A three ball put the Rangers ahead by four at the 10-minute mark, but a Jaxon Edelmayer free throw followed by a Baker-McCann long ball put SNU within one point with just under eight minutes left in the contest. NWOSU outscored the Storm 6-3 over the next three minutes, giving the Rangers a slight advantage as the time dwindled down. The Storm felt the pressure and a Slaymaker three and a Zecic lay-in kept the Storm behind 70-67 with three minutes reading on the clock. 

The contest became a grind on defense after both teams went back and forth with defensive rebounds, blocks, and steals. With 1:22 on the clock, the teams traded free throws, and SNU sat behind by five points. The Rangers buried a three with the final minute approaching and they soon led by eight points, lengthening the gap with the small amount of time left. Slaymaker's two made free throws and a bucket by Baker-McCann were able to bump the Storm ahead to a seven-point trail with 30 seconds left. Baker-McCann was able to draw a foul and sink in another free throw for the Storm to make it a six-point game, but a NWOSU dunk on the other end of the floor was just enough to allow the Rangers to sneak away with the 82-74 win on their home court. 

Slaymaker and Baker-McCann each scored 17 points for SNU while Zecic followed with 13. Overall, SNU shot well from the outside, finishing 25-50 from the field and 6-14 from beyond the arc. 


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Southern Nazarene will compete in their last regular season game at home on Saturday, March 2nd as they host Southwestern Oklahoma State at 3 p.m. for senior day. SNU lost to the Bulldogs back in December by 11 points. With the loss to NWOSU, SNU is still tied for fourth in the conference, with one of those teams being the Bulldogs who also have a 10-11 conference record heading into Saturday.