SE Survives Scare Versus TAMUK

DURANT, Okla. – Despite its lowest point total of the season, Southeastern survived a scare from Texas A&M-Kingsville and stayed perfect on the season with a 57-51 win on Sunday afternoon in Bloomer Sullivan Arena.
 
The win lifts the Savage Storm to 7-0 heading into a Dec. 1 matchup with Dallas Christian at 5:30 p.m. in Bloomer Sullivan Arena.
 
SE found itself down 48-47 with 4:59 to play, but a Shelby Hill free throw knotted the game at 48-48 with 4:50 remaining.
 
The teams would then trade fruitless possession until Emily Williams would connect on a layup with 3:37 to play to put SE up for good.
 
It was still a one possession contest with 16 seconds to play, but Williams hit a free throw and would add two more with three seconds on the clock to fashion the 57-51 final score.
 
Williams turned in a game-high 12 points, her lowest total of the season, but eight of those points came in the second half.
 
Kaylie Baxter finished just shy of double-digits with nine points, while Cheree Kiser chipped in eight and the pair of Olivia Potter and Demi Koelzer had six each.
 
Rachel Wallace dished out a team-best three assists as the Storm had 15 as a team spread between eight players.
 
The Storm had one of its worst shooting nights of the season at 37.3 percent, hitting a season-low six threes and connecting on 13-of-21 free throws.
 
However, the SE defense rose to the occasion, holding TAMUK to 34.5 percent shooting from the field and a 3-of-19 effort from behind the arc.
 
The Storm also forced 27 turnovers, but were outrebounded on the afternoon 46-to-31.
 
Hill led the rebounding efforts for Southeastern with seven, while Williams was right behind with six and three other had at least three.
 
Despite the contest remaining in single digits for nearly the duration, the teams only traded the lead once, that coming late in the second half.
 
SE opened the contest by slowly building a 5-0 lead which it held until the Javelinas got on the board with 15:23 to go in the opening half.
 
The Storm would slowly edge away in the early going, taking its largest lead of the day when Kiser connected on a layup with 8:21 to go in the half at 17-7.
 
TAMUK whittled that lead down and twice tied the game, but Potter would hit a three following the second tie and put SE up 23-20 en route to a 29-24 halftime lead.
 
The Javelinas would eventually tie the game in the second half at 39-39 with 9:47 to play and again with 7:31 remaining, but Potter would hit her second three of the game following the second tie to give Southeastern a 47-44 lead.