WEATHERFORD – SWOSU Women's Basketball suffered a 72-58 loss to Southern Nazarene on Saturday inside the Pioneer Event Center.
It marked the Lady Bulldogs' second loss to the Crimson Storm this season and gave SWOSU a split of the week after Thursday's win over Northwestern.
SWOSU came out sharp, opening the game on a 7-0 run and controlling the pace throughout the first quarter. The Lady Bulldogs held the lead for the entire opening period, but momentum shifted in the second quarter as Southern Nazarene found its rhythm offensively.
The Crimson Storm closed the first half on a decisive 13-0 run and took a 37-30 lead into the break. SNU doubled up SWOSU 24-12 in the second quarter, fueled by a major swing in shooting efficiency. After SWOSU shot 53 percent in the first quarter, the Lady Bulldogs dropped to just 29 percent in the second. Meanwhile, SNU bounced back from a 33 percent opening quarter by shooting 57 percent in the second, with seven first-half three-pointers proving to be a key difference.
Payten Conde dished out four assists in the first half, while
Landry Allen scored 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting and found early success with her midrange jumper, though she was held without a block through the first 20 minutes.
Southern Nazarene broke the game open in the third quarter with a blistering offensive stretch, shooting 9-of-13 from the field while knocking down three more three-pointers. The Crimson Storm also went a perfect 8-for-8 at the foul line in the quarter, extending their lead to 66-51 entering the fourth.
The final period turned into a defensive grind, with the two teams combining for just 13 points. SWOSU's 15-point deficit grew to as many as 21, eliminating any chance of a late comeback push.
SWOSU finished the game shooting 36 percent from the field, going 9-of-25 (36 percent) from three-point range, and 7-of-12 (58 percent) at the free throw line. Southern Nazarene shot 49 percent overall (24-of-49), connected on 10-of-25 from deep — just the fourth time this season the Crimson Storm have reached double-digit three-point makes — and went 14-of-18 at the foul line.
Conde led SWOSU with 12 points, knocking down 4-of-7 from beyond the arc while adding five assists.
Kasidy Russell added 10 points. Allen did not score in the second half and was held without a block for the first time this season.
The teams finished even on the glass at 32-32 and committed 18 turnovers apiece, but Southern Nazarene's bench provided a major boost, outscoring SWOSU's reserves 42-12.
The loss drops SWOSU to 9-13 overall and 7-10 in GAC play. The Lady Bulldogs will make up a previously rescheduled game at Oklahoma Baptist on Monday in Shawnee before returning home to host Arkansas-Monticello and Southern Arkansas in the regularly scheduled Thursday/Saturday slate. Five games remain in the regular season.
