ADA, Okla. — No. 5 Southern Nazarene showed its resilience once again Thursday night, outlasting East Central 88–80 in overtime to notch its ninth straight victory and remain unbeaten in Great American Conference play.
The Crimson Storm (9–0, 3–0 GAC) were locked in a tight battle from the opening tip, trading punches with a sharp-shooting ECU (4-4, 0-4 GAC) squad that refused to fade. After trailing by one at the half, SNU surged ahead late in regulation, but the Tigers answered with a final push to send the game into overtime at 72–72.
Once the extra period began, the Storm took complete control and never looked back.
SNU dominated the overtime frame 16–8, fueled by a tough interior presence. Tracy Godfrey Jr. delivered a monster performance, pouring in a career-high 32 points on 12-of-14 shooting while grabbing 14 rebounds, a career high, to secure a double-double. The senior forward scored eight of SNU's 16 overtime points and proved nearly unstoppable around the rim.
Colby Henderson and Baron Bracey each added 15 points, with Bracey contributing four assists and a steal. Bam Johnson rounded out the double-figure scorers with 17 points of his own, shooting an efficient 7-of-12 from the field.
As the night wore on, the Storm leaned heavily on their ability to dominate the paint. SNU outscored ECU 50–20 inside and grabbed 14 offensive boards, turning them into 24 second-chance points, which ultimately decided the game.
Defensively, SNU held ECU to just two made field goals in overtime while forcing 13 turnovers on the night. The Storm limited the Tigers to 41.8 percent shooting and disrupted their late-game rhythm, holding them scoreless for nearly three minutes to seal the 88-80 win.
Next Up
The Storm will return to the Sawyer Center to host Southwestern Oklahoma State on Saturday, December 13 at 3:00 pm.
