SE Nabs Postseason Berth with Win at HU

SEARCY, Ark. – Southeastern not only gave Harding its first home loss of the season on Saturday with its 67-59 victory in Searcy, Ark., but the Savage Storm also locked up a fourth-straight trip to the Great American Conference tournament.
 
SE improved to 16-8 on the season overall and 9-7 on the season in league play which mathematically ensures a trip to Bartlesville, Okla., for the fourth-straight year as a member of the GAC and the ninth-straight conference tournament berth when the GAC and Lone Star Conference seasons are added together.
 
Emily Williams led all scorers with 19 points with a pair of threes and a 7-of-8 effort at the free throw line.
 
She was aided by Olivia Potter whop turned in 17 points off the bench, scoring in a different way for her, only knocking down a pair of threes while going 5-of-7 from inside the arc.
 
Taylor Richards also cracked double-figures with 10.
 
Rachel Wallace chipped in nine and Kaylie Baxter added eight.
 
Williams also dished out a game-high five assists, while the Storm finished with 12 on the night with just eight turnovers.
 
Southeastern shot 37.7 percent as a team, bolstered by a 46.7 percent effort tint he second half.
 
Wallace led the team in rebounds with 10, while Richards added eight and Williams finished with six.
 
The teams played near identical games, with SE taking one noticeable lead in points off turnovers, outscoring HU 12-1 in that category.
 
The home team jumped out to a 6-0 lead, but the Storm answered with a 10-2 run to take its first lead of the game at 10-8.
 
SE would lead by as many as five in the first half, but a late 16-7 run would give the Bisons the 31-27 lead at halftime.
 
HU would open the second half with a 10-2 run to take its largest lead of the game just 1:39 into the second half at 41-29.
 
The Storm would answered with a methodical 19-6 run over 6:31, talking its first second half lead on a Williams three with 11:50 to play at 48-47.
 
The teams would trade the lead until the 10:48 mark when Wallace hit a jumper to put SE up 50-49 and the Storm would not trail again.
 
The lead stretched to two possessions on a Potter layup with 5:09 to play and grew to its largest point on a Baxter three that made it 63-55 with 2:14.
 
That eight-point edge would prove to be the final margin of victory as the Storm held on for a 67-59 win.