FORT SMITH, Ark. - The Crimson Storm and Southeastern Oklahoma State put on a show in the GAC Tournament semifinals, but Southeastern managed to sneak away with a 71-70 victory, leaving Southern Nazarene just shy of a trip to the championship game.

Southeastern Oklahoma State (20-10,15-7 GAC) struck first with a pair of free throws, but SNU (23-7,19-3 GAC) wasted no time getting on the board. Hannah Giddey got things rolling with a smooth layup in the paint, followed by another from Katie King. Hannah Duncan joined in, knocking down a three pointer, giving the Crimson Storm a nice spark early on. The Savage Storm, however, kept their momentum rolling and held a 17-13 lead after the first quarter.

The second quarter saw Southern Nazarene start to find their rhythm. Carley Gasaway knocked down a couple of free throws and then buried a three pointer off a pass from Braci Nyberg, cutting into the deficit. Giddey stayed hot in the paint, knocking down two more layups and Umi Otsuka added to the mix with a clean bucket inside. SNU kept it close, but Southeastern still had the edge at halftime, leading 31-30.

Coming out of halftime, the Crimson Storm was locked in. Otsuka came out with a fastbreak layup and Giddey continued to dominate in the paint, adding a couple more buckets to her name. Nyberg kept it going with a huge three pointer and SNU looked like they were finding their groove. But once again, the Savage Storm would not budge and held onto a 52-44 lead heading into the final quarter.

To begin the fourth quarter Jena Bay knocked down a smooth jumper and Giddey kept SNU alive with back to back layups. King hit a  clutch three pointer and another layup to follow, making it a tight game. Otsuka stepped up with a big three ball of her own, and Nyberg added a layup in the paint to keep Southern Nazarene in striking distance.

King knocked down two huge free throws in the final moments, but even with the Crimson Storm's late surge, Southeastern Oklahoma State hung on and slipped away with a 71-70 win over SNU. 

Now, the Crimson Storm will turn their attention to see if they will earn a spot in the NCAA DII Women's Basketball Tournament.