BETHANY, Okla. – Saturday's matchup between SWOSU Women's Basketball and Southern Nazarene was tightly contested through three quarters, but a late surge by the Crimson Storm proved decisive as the Lady Bulldogs fell 70-57 inside the Sawyer Center.
 
The two sides entered the fourth quarter tied at 40-40 before Southern Nazarene seized control, outscoring SWOSU 30-17 over the final 10 minutes. The Crimson Storm shot a blistering 75% from the field in the fourth quarter to create separation after the game had remained close much of the afternoon.
 
SWOSU set the tone early, opening the game with a 15-7 after one quarter of play for their largest lead of the afternoon. Southern Nazarene responded in the second quarter, using a strong stretch to pull ahead 27-22 at halftime. The Lady Bulldogs answered out of the break with a solid third quarter to erase the deficit.

SWOSU finished the day shooting 42% from the field, its second-highest mark of the season, but the Lady Bulldogs struggled to capitalize at the free-throw line and from beyond the arc. SWOSU went just 4-of-13 (31%) at the foul line and 3-for-13 (23%) from three-point range. Southern Nazarene shot 44% for the game, bolstered by its late offensive explosion after entering the fourth quarter shooting just 32%.
 
The Lady Bulldogs found success attacking the paint, scoring 40 points inside. Elle Papahronis led all scorers with a career-high 22 points on 10-of-19 shooting. Sincere Jackson added 12 points and eight rebounds, while Landry Allen contributed eight points, eight rebounds, five blocks, and two steals.
 
The loss drops SWOSU to 3-6 overall and 1-3 in Great American Conference play. The Lady Bulldogs will close out the fall semester portion of the schedule next Thursday, December 18, on the road against Southeastern Oklahoma State before the holiday break pauses conference action until January.