Bench Lifts Storm to Rivalry Win

DURANT, Okla. – No. 18 Southeastern got a big boost from its bench en route to a 63-41 rivalry victory over East Central on Thursday night in front of the largest crowd of the season at Bloomer Sullivan Arena.
 
The win is the team's sixth-straight and lifts the Savage Storm to 11-2 overall on the season and 8-1 in Great American Conference play heading into a Saturday afternoon rematch with Southwestern Oklahoma State at 1 p.m. in Weatherford, Okla.
 
"Our bench came in and sparked us," said head coach Darin Grover. "Especially Tracy Johnson who came in and did a great job of knocking down shots. Neely Noel as well. They pack it in defensively so its so crowded, and we knew it. We worked on it all week. They packed it in even a little bit more than I thought they would and just dared us to shoot. Kam didn't really have mush area to operate. Obviously Katie got frustrated, but luckily our bench came in and knocked down threes and it really was the difference in the game."

The SE bench accounted for 42 of the teams 63 total points, led by Tracy Johnson who hit 4-of-6 from three point range and 5-of-7 from the field overall on her way to a game-high 14 points.
 
She was followed by Katie Branam who dropped 11 points and Neely Noel who finished with 10.
 
For the first time all season not a single Storm starter reached double figures, with Katie Webb's nine points coming the closest. Webb was held to single digits for the first time in 35 games dating back to Nov. 30, 2017 at Arkansas-Monticello.
 
Southeastern finished the night shooting 39.3 percent overall from the field, but connected on 11 threes and hit at a 40.7 percent clip from long range, while the defense did its job and held the Tigers to a 28.8 percent shooting effort, including a 13.0 percent mark in the first half.
 
Kamryn Cantwell dished out a game-high four assists as the Storm piled up 16 for the game.
 
Noel also led the team on the glass with seven rebounds for the game, while Jordan Benson grabbed five, and Cantwell, Johnson, Webb, and Branam each snagged three.
 
Briley Moon made her mark on defense with three steals, while Cantwell and Johnson each swiped two.
 
The Tigers scored the first five points of the game, but SE responded with a Branam three to kick off a 13-1 run capped by a Noel three to open up a 13-6 lead which would turn into an 18-8 advantage after one quarter.
 
Southeastern's defense clamped down in the second quarter, scoring 15-straight points to open the frame and holding the Tigers scoreless until a layup with 1:18 to go in the first half, ultimately outscoring ECU 17-2 in the second quarter and taking a 35-10 lead into the half.
 
The teams matched each other point-for-point in the third quarter, with SE pushing its lead to as high as 28 points before settling back on a 46-21 score heading to the fourth quarter.
 
The Tigers would close the gap in the fourth quarter, getting it to 18 points with 7:05 to play, but SE answered that with a 7-0 run capped by a Moon three to regain control and hold out for a 63-41 victory.