SE Falls to UAM in Double-Overtime Thriller

DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern forced the league's top-ranked team to a pair of overtimes, but was ultimately unable to pull off the upset in a 77-75 double-overtime loss to No. 18 Arkansas-Monticello on Saturday afternoon in Bloomer Sullivan Arena.
 
The loss drops the Savage Storm to 8-11 on the season overall and 4-9 in Great American Conference play.
 
SE had four players reach double-figures and a pair of double-doubles.
 
Anton Cook turned in his fifth 20-point outing of the season and third in his last four outings, finishing with a game-high 23 points with a trio of threes.
 
Tyler Lonzie added 15 points and turned in a double-double with 10 rebounds, while Kevin Buckingham turned in 13 points.
 
Jett Jobe was the team's second double-double dropping in 10 points and dishing out 10 assists.
 
The Storm shot 47.5 percent from the floor on the night, including a 57.7 percent effort in the second half as they rallied to force overtime.
 
SE never led in the final overtime as the teams traded buckets and free throws for the entire frame, with UAM's Karim Mawunyega hitting a layup with five seconds remaining which proved to be the difference in the 77-75 loss.
 
The Storm held its largest lead of the day in the first overtime after opening with buckets by Cook and Buckingham to take a 67-63 lead.
 
Southeastern led by three in the first OT with under a minute to play, but it was Mawunyega who would connect on a three to knot the score at 69-69 and force the final overtime session.
 
The largest advantage either team would garner in the second half was five points, but after Bobby Johnson connected on two of three free throws after being fouled on a three point try with 46 seconds left in regulation, the Storm would hold a 63-62 lead.
 
That would fade after Deryltopn Hill would hit one of his two free throws with 25 second to go to tie the game at 63-63 and the final Storm shot would miss the mark, forcing OT.
 
In the first half the action was back-and-forth for most of the frame, with the teams playing to a 17-17 tie with 7:52 to go in the half before UAM reeled off an 11-2 run to take a 28-19 lead with 3:45 to play in the half.
 
The Storm would respond and trim that to a 31-25 deficit at halftime.