Southeastern Downs SNU in Overtime

Box Score DURANT, Okla. – Four of Southeastern's starters scored in double-figures and the Savage Storm picked up its second-straight win with a thrilling 74-67 victory in overtime on Saturday night in Bloomer Sullivan Arena.
 
The win lifts SE to 8-15 overall and 5-12 in Great American Conference play heading into a Feb. 24 makeup game against Arkansas Tech in Russellville, Ark.
 
Southeastern erased a 10-point halftime deficit and led 62-59 in the final minute of regulation thanks to a three-pointer from Daichi Taniguchi with 45 seconds to play.
 
SNU, however, would get one last chance after a Storm turnover and cashed in when CJ Smith banked in a three to tie the game with 1.5 seconds to play to force overtime tied at 62-62.
 
Darrius Harris put the Storm on the board first in OT and they would never trail as Harris would go on to score the first six points of the extra frame to put SE up 68-62 with 2:07 to play.
 
SNU would twice whittle the lead back to one possession at three points, but a pair of Urald King free throws with 30 seconds left and two more by John Balwigaire with 16 to play would put the game out of reach and give the Storm a 74-67 victory.
 
King finished with his ninth double-double on the season after turning in 19 points and 11 rebounds to pace the Storm in both categories.
 
Harris turned in his fourth double-double of the year with 15 points while matching King with 11 rebounds.
 
Balwigaire turned in 15 points in his return to action after missing four games due to injury, while Taniguchi used a 3-for-6 effort form behind the arc to turn in 11 points in the game.
 
Taylor Smaller was the only starter not in double figures and he finished with eight points.
 
Balwigaire also paced the team in assists with five, while Taniguchi turned in four.
 
SE shot 43.1 percent from the field, holding a slight edge over SNU's 41.4 percent outing, while the Crimson Storm hit 10 threes on the night.
 
Southeastern made up the difference by going 18-of-22 from the free throw line, while SNU struggled with a 9-of-23 performance.
 
SE led in the early going of the contest, going up by as many as five points on a Tyler Lonzie layup with 11:36 to go in the half that made the score 17-12.
 
The Crimson Storm would finish the half outscoring SE 23-6 to hold a 35-25 lead at the break.
 
The Storm slowly whittled away the deficit, finally tying the game at 49-49 with 7:14 to go in regulation on a Harris layup, and then taking the lead when he hit the free throw for the plus-one.
 
SE would slowly push its lead out to 56-50 with 3:39 remaining, but a pair of SNU threes, the last with 1:21 to play, put the Storm behind 59-58.
 
King would answer with a free throw that tied the game at 59-59 with 1:09 to play, and after a Smith turnover, Taniguchi would hit his three to put the Storm in front.