SE Holds on for 73-71 Win at UAM

MONTICELLO, Ark. – Southeastern shot over 50 percent in the second half and needed every bit of it to erase a seven-point halftime deficit and hold on for a 73-71 win over Arkansas-Monticello on Saturday afternoon in Monticello, Ark.
 
The win lifts the Savage Storm to 20-7 overall on the year, the team's second-straight 20-win season, and moves them to 14-6 in Great American Conference play.
 
Adam Dworsky posted a team-high 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting with a 4-of-8 mark from beyond the arc, while dishing out a team-leading six assists.
 
Kevin Buckingham was right behind with 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting and just missed a double-double with a team-high nine rebounds.
 
Kellen Manek checked in with 17 points with a trio of threes and eight rebounds alongside five assists.
 
Bobby Johnson added 10 points in his return to the lineup after an injury.  
 
SE shot 46.6 percent for the game, bolstered by a 51.9 percent effort in the second half.
 
The Storm scored the first five points of the game and would push its lead out to six points early before an 11-2 run by UAM would put the Boll Weevils up 15-12 with 13:15 to go in the first half.
 
The Storm would answer but the teams would trade buckets with neither team able to move beyond a one possession lead until UAM finished the first half on an 8-0 run and SE would trail 40-33 at the break.
 
The deficit remained six points by the 16:13 mark of the second half when Southeastern got back-to-back threes from Dworsky and Manek to mount a 12-2 run and take a 54-50 lead with 14:05 to play.
 
The Storm would maintain the edge, eventually pushing the lead out to eight points on a pair of Johnson free throws with 10:16 to go.
 
UAM would rally and by the 4:43 mark SE was clinging to a 66-65 lead.
 
The teams matched point for point with the score moving to 70-69 with 2:49 to play.
 
For the next two minutes neither team could score, with UAM's KJ Lesure stealing a Dworsky pass with 22 seconds to play but would miss the layup and Manek would clear the rebound before Johnson dished it to Buckingham for two points on the other end and a 72-69 lead with 12 second to play.
 
The Storm would send UAM to the line with 10 seconds left where Marcus Gilbert hit a pair of free throws before the Weevils would foul Buckingham, sending him to the line with four seconds to play.
 
Buckinham would go one-of-two at the line, but a Lesure three at the buzzer was off the mark and SE would preserve its 73-71 win.