Box Score (html)
WEATHERFORD, Okla. – SWOSU struggled to find a rhythm offensively while Southern Nazarene hit better than 50% from the field and long range as they handed the Bulldogs their first home loss of the season, 74-65 on Saturday afternoon at the Pioneer Cellular Event Center.
The Bulldogs led early thanks to the hot shooting from
Martell Collins, who 14 first-half points. Collins gave the Bulldogs their biggest lead at 25-19 with just over eight minutes to play in the half, but SNU closed by outscoring SWOSU 20-12 and held a two-point advantage of 39-37 at the break.
Ayo Ojo opened the second half with a pair of free throws, knotting the game at 39-39 before the Crimson Storm quickly put some distance between the teams on the scoreboard. By the midway point in the half, SNU led by 12 at 60-48, leaving SWOSU fighting an uphill battle that ended with them only getting the lead into single digits once in the final 10 minutes of the game.
SNU shot 50.9% from the field and 52.4% from 3-point range, hitting 11 triples while using a zone defense to hold SWOSU to 40.0% (22-of-55) from the field and 5-of-19 (26.3%) shooting from long range. The Crimson Storm also outrebounded SWOSU 38-28 and had 14 assists on 28 made baskets.
The Bulldogs were led by 20 points and eight rebounds from
Martell Collins who also blocked two shots in 35 minutes of action.
Richard McCalop posted his best offensive effort as a Bulldog, hitting 5-of-9 field goals for 14 points and six rebounds while providing the highlight of the game for SWOSU with a fast break rejection in the second half. Defending GAC Player of the Week
Kenyan Borders added 12 points, five rebounds and three assists.
"Give Southern Nazarene all the credit, they played better than we did today and deserved the victory," SWOSU Coach
Bob Battisti said. "The positive for us was the play of
Richard McCalop and
Keyshawn Perkins, who are getting better and better. If we are going to improve as a team, we need those two to continue to play well."
The game was the final home contest for the Bulldogs before the semester break begins. SWOSU – now 6-3 (1-2 GAC) on the year – plays at Arkansas Tech on Wednesday before having nearly two weeks off before their next game.
