Southeastern Survives OT with Win over HSU

DURANT, Okla. – In a game that featured 13 ties and 21 lead changes Southeastern was able to force overtime and come out ahead with an 81-79 victory over Henderson State on Thursday night in Bloomer Sullivan Arena.
 
The win lifts the Savage Storm to 21-7 overall on the season and 15-6 in Great American Conference play heading into senior day on Feb. 29 with a 3 p.m. matchup with Ouachita Baptist.
 
Adam Dworsky turned in his second-straight 20-point performance and fifth of the season as he finished with a game-high 23 points on 6-of-13 shooting and went 10-of-10 at the free throw line, including hitting a pair with 0.2 seconds to play which tied the game and forced overtime.
 
He also dished out a game-high eight assists, all of them coming in the second half and overtime.
 
Kevin Buckingham was 8-of-17 on the night and finished with 19 points.
 
Kayo Goncalves turned in a career-high 17 rebounds and wrapped up a double-double with 13 points on the strength of three threes.
 
Bobby Johnson rounded out the double digit scorers with 12.
 
Manek just missed a double-double of his own with nine points and nine rebounds while handing out three assists.
 
The Storm had a rough shooting first half, hitting 31.3 percent from the field and knocking down just one three before following up in the second half with a 44.8 percent effort overall and a 6-of-12 mark form beyond the arc.
 
Southeastern would trail by as many as six points in the second half, falling behind 60-54 with 6:41 to play in regulation.
 
The Storm would chip away and retake the lead for the first time on a Buckingham three with 2:29 to go in the second half.
 
HSU would find its way back in front thanks to a 3-of-6 free throw shooting effort over the final two minutes and held a 69-67 lead with eight seconds to play.
 
Dworsky would drive the length of the court and draw the whistle with 0.2 seconds to play before stepping to the line to drain both freebies, knotting the game at 69-69 and sending it to overtime.
 
The Reddies scored first in OT, but a Manek three would put SE right back up 72-71.
 
The teams continued to trade one point leads, with a pair of Dworsky free throws with 2:14 to play putting the Storm in front and two more with 41 seconds left pushing that lead to 78-75.
 
HSU would respond once again, rallying to tie the game at 79-79 with 20 seconds to play.
 
This time Manek would go to the line with eight seconds to give the Storm a two-point lead at 81-79.
 
The Storm looked to be out of the woods when Quawn Marshall lost the ball going up for a shot and after a review possession flipped over to SE with 2.8 seconds left.
 
However, the in-bounds pass was tipped and Marshall picked up the loose ball before hitting a three that was waved off after review, preserving the 81-79 Southeastern victory.
 
The game started close and stayed close as the Storm jumped out to a pair of early four point leads before the Reddies answered and by the 8:09 mark of the half had pushed its lead to 19-14.
 
A 9-1 run by the Storm capped by a pair of Manek free throws would give SE a 22-20 edge with just under five to play in the half.
 
HSU would retake the lead briefly with 3:22 to play in the first, but a Goncalves three would put SE back in front on its way to a 29-28 halftime lead.