SE Athletics
BETHANY, Okla. – Southeastern sees No. 9 Southern Nazarene pull away in the second half, as the Savage Storm suffer a 90-60 defeat inside the Sawyer Center on Saturday afternoon.
The Savage Storm struggled to get the offense going in the second half, shooting 26.1 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes. SE finished the game converting 35.4 percent from the field and 36.8 percent at the three-point line, while recording 29 rebounds.
Chandler Dickinson led the scoring for Southeastern with 21 points on 4-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc, while Ethan Wilkerson chipped in 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Wilkerson also paced the team with eight rebounds, and Deondre Dunn would register seven and eight points.
Southeastern (3-9, 2-4 GAC) heads back to Durant to host Southern Arkansas on Thursday, Jan. 8, at 7:30 p.m. in Bloomer Sullivan Arena.
The first half began with the two sides trading three-pointers in the opening minute, and SE would take a 7-6 lead after baskets from Wilkerson and Nnachebe Uwakwe. SNU remained dialed in from deep, knocking down a pair of triples to grab the lead, but five straight points by Wilkerson, including a three-pointer, tied it 14-14. However, a burst of points by the Crimson Storm saw them jump out to a 23-17 lead with 6:34 remaining in the half.
Southeastern picked up the pace in the final five minutes, starting with a jumper from Dickinson to cut it to a five-point game. Dickinson followed with two free throws before the blue and gold outscored the Crimson Storm 8-2 in the final two and a half minutes. Dunn and Dickinson each knocked down a three-pointer, and Dunn would close out the half at the free-throw line to close the gap to two, 33-31.
SE continued to reel in the Crimson Storm to start the second half, as a three-pointer by Dickinson tied it 38-all. Moments later, Dickinson connected from deep again to give the Savage Storm just their second lead of the game and first since the 15:11 mark in the first half, 41-40. However, the moment quickly shifted to the hosts, who built a 4-0 run to regain the lead 44-43.
From there, Southern Nazarene dominated the next seven and a half minutes, holding SE scoreless and building a 24-0 run, up 68-43. SE’s next baskets came at the free-throw line from Santiago Camacho Gomez, and Jalen Williams would connect on a jumper. SNU continued to add to its lead in the final five minutes of the game for a 90-60 win.