Storm Holds off Rally for Win at HU

SEARCY, Ark. – Southeastern shot 56.1 percent from the field for the game and held off a second half comeback by Harding to win its third-straight game, 79-74, on Saturday afternoon in Searcy, Ark.
 
The Savage Storm put together a three-game winning streak for the second time this season and have won five of its last six to improve to 13-11 overall and 9-7 in Great American Conference play.
 
Despite playing a seven man rotation, the Storm shot an unbelievably efficient 69.2 percent in the first half, including a 5-of-8 mark from long range.
 
The second half dipped to 45.2 percent overall and 4-of-7 from three to finish the night 32-of-57 from the field and 9-of-15 from behind the arc for a 60.0 percent effort.
 
The team also put five players in double-figures, led by Taylor Smaller who tallied his seventh 20-plus point game, second in-a-row and fourth in his last six games when he posted 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting, with a 4-for-9 effort from three-point range.
 
Sami Bzai checked in with 14 points, nine of which came in the second half as he hit three of his four three point buckets at some very opportune times.  He would finish a perfect 4-for-4 from behind the arc and 5-for-8 overall from the floor.
 
Darius Harris added 13 points, while Tyler Lonzie and Anton Cook each chipped in 10.
 
Antonio Worthy added eight points and Kyle Roberts chipped in two.
 
Smaller dished out a game-best six assists, while Bzai, Harris and Cook each added three.
 
The Storm held a 37-to-25 edge on the boards, with Harris leading all rebounders and completing his seventh double-double of the year with 10 rebounds.
 
Worthy also added three blocks on the defensive side.
 
The teams traded buckets early with HU taking a four point lead before the Storm mounted a 25-1 run capped by a a Smaller three to open up a 30-10 lead with 7:26 to go in the half.
 
The Bisons would chip at that edge with SE taking a 43-27 lead to the locker room at halftime.
 
HU would use an early 8-0 run to cut the deficit to 10 points where it would hover for several possessions before another push would close HU to 56-50 with 10:00 to play.
 
A Worthy layup would slow the rally, but the Bisons would cut SE's lead to one possession with 8:15 to play.
 
A Bzai three would answer and the teams would trade buckets until an HU three would narrow the SE lead to 74-72 with 59 seconds to play.
 
Smaller would provide the answer for the Storm with a three, but HU would get a bucket to close to 77-74 with eight seconds left.
 
SE would survive a scare on a turnover when a Bison three was off the mark and Cook hauled in the rebound.
 
Finally Lonzie would connect on a pair of free throws with less than a second left to secure the 79-74 win.