SE Holds on for 82-77 Win at SAU

MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Southeastern shot over 50 percent from the field and had four score in double-figures on its way to an 82-77 road victory over Southern Arkansas on Thursday night in Magnolia, Ark.
 
The win lifts the Savage Storm to 17-6 overall and 14-5 in Great American Conference play heading into its road finale on Saturday with a 1 p.m. matchup against Arkansas-Monticello in Monticello, Ark.
 
Kamryn Cantwell led Southeastern's offense with 23 points, hitting 50.0 percent from the field with a pair of threes.  She also hauled in seven rebounds and handed out a team-best five assists.
 
Katie Webb finished the night with 17 points while pulling down a team-high eight rebounds. She also dished out four assists and snagged a pair of steals.
 
Briley Moon connected on 4-of-5 threes and finished with 14 points while Tracy Johnson hit a trio of threes and put up 11 points on the night.
 
SE shot 50.9 percent from the field overall and 47.4 percent from beyond the arc while also holding a 48-to-27 edge on the glass and dishing out 20 assists as a team.
 
That offset a season-worst 32 turnovers which led to a 31-18 edge for SAU in points off miscues.
 
Cantwell put up 11 points in the first half and Webb was right behind with 10 as the Storm shot 52.2 percent for the half and hit 4-of-9 from beyond the arc.
 
The difference in the first half was turnovers as SE coughed up 21 in the first half alone, while SAU had seven which created a 17-2 margin in points off turnovers over the first 20 minutes.
 
Seven of the first eight SE possessions ended in turnovers as the Muleriders pushed out to a 9-0 lead by the 6:07 mark of the first quarter.
 
The Storm would right the ship and rally over the next six minutes, starting with threes from Cantwell and Johnson to kick off a 16-3 run capped by a pair of Cantwell free throws to put SE up 16-12 before ending the quarter with a 16-15 lead.
 
Southeastern maintained a lead throughout the second quarter, with SAU tying the contest once early at 23-23.
 
The lead reached four points at 31-27 on a Webb jumper with 3:45 to play in the half and remained at four with 2:38 to play.
 
The Muleriders would close out the half with a 7-2 run, leaving the Storm trailing 37-36 after scoring twice in the final minute off SE turnovers.
 
A Johnson three opened the second half to regain the lead for the Storm, but SAU would chip back and take a 44-43 lead by the 6:33 mark of the quarter.
 
SE would answer with a 7-0 run capped by a Logan Oestreich free throw to take a 50-44 lead with 4:19 to go in the third.
 
The Storm would maintain a six-point advantage, eventually taking a 58-52 lead into the final quarter break.
 
Southeastern saved its best shooting effort for the fourth quarter as it connected on 61.5 percent of its shots, including a 4-of-5 performance from three-point range.
 
SAU would close the gap to one point twice and SE held a two-point lead with 5:56 to play before putting together an 8-0 run capped by a Johnson three to take a 73-63 lead with 4:14 to go.
 
The Muleriders would chip away and close the gap to 74-73 with 2:01 to play.
 
The Storm would cut off the rally with a Cantwell bucket and after forcing a turnover Moon would drain a three with 1:19 to play to push the advantage out to 79-73.
 
SAU would close the gap to four points twice over the final minutes but a Webb free throw with five seconds to play would set the final of 82-77.