BETHANY, Okla. — No. 20 Southern Nazarene tipped off the 2025-26 campaign inside the Sawyer Center on Friday evening in the GAC/NISC Challenge, grinding out a hard-fought 71–67 win over the University of Jamestown.

The Crimson Storm (1-0, 0-0 GAC) leaned on a strong second half and a gritty defensive effort, overcoming 13 turnovers while winning the rebounding battle 40–37 to hold off the Jimmies (0-1, 0-0 NSIC) in front of 426 fans.

SNU got rolling early behind veteran guard Baron Bracey, who powered his way to 13 points and 11 rebounds. Bracey sparked the Storm's offense in the opening minutes, while Malik Edwards added timely buckets to keep pace with a hot-shooting Jamestown squad that hit seven first-half threes. Despite the Jimmies' shot-making, Bam Johnson and Colby Henderson answered inside, helping SNU stay within a point at the break, trailing 32–31.

Coming out of halftime, the Crimson Storm wasted no time flipping momentum. James Burries came off the bench firing, knocking down a trio of threes on his way to a team-high 13 points. His quick spark and a defensive turn up helped SNU to 40-point second half. Tracy Godfrey Jr. continued the push inside, securing eight points and a game-high eight rebounds as the Storm began to separate.

Jamestown stayed within striking distance behind Owen Hektner, who poured in 17 points, and Henry Meyer, who added 10. But Southern Nazarene consistently had an answer. Henderson and Johnson came up with key defensive plays in the final minutes, and clutch free-throws shooting down the stretch.

With the lead trimmed to just a few possessions in the closing seconds, the Storm held firm, securing stops on back-to-back trips to seal the 71–67 victory.

Next Up 

The Crimson Storm will host Northern State on Saturday, November 14 at 7:30 pm in their final game of the GAC/NSIC Challenge.