Southeastern Advances To GAC Title Game

BARTLESVILLE, Okla. – Kamryn Cantwell turned in a career-high 30 points to pace Southeastern to an 87-84 overtime victory over Henderson State on Saturday evening to advance to its first Great American Conference Championship game
 
The win lifted the Savage Storm to 21-7 overall on the season and SE will be back in action on Sunday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. in Bartlesville, Okla., in the finals of the GAC Tournament against the winner of the second semifinal contest between Arkansas-Monticello and Arkansas Tech.
 
Cantwell was 9-of-14 from the floor and went 11-of-14 at the free throw line en route to her career high, besting her previous career-high of 29 she posted 10 days ago against the Reddies.
 
Katie Webb added 23 points in the effort and playing all 45 minutes of the game.
 
Briley Moon added a 7-of-12 effort from the floor and finished the game with 19 points.
 
Webb and Moon each hauled in a team-high eight rebounds, while Cantwell and Katie Branam added six apiece.
 
On the defensive end Webb also added two blocked shots and three steals.
 
The teams came out of the gate even, with the Storm leading early, going up by four points three different times, but HSU would finish the first quarter on a 7-2 run and SE trialed 20-16 after one quarter.
 
HSU opened the second quarter with back-to-back threes to push that gap to 10 points early and SE would play from behind until a late 8-0 run capped by a Cantwell free throw would erase the deficit sand give the Storm a 39-38 lead with 1:34 to go in the second.
 
However, the Reddies would score the final four points of the half and SE would trail 42-39 at halftime.
 
HSU would push its lead to six early in the third, but an 8-0 Southeastern run capped by a pair of Cantwell freebies pushed ahead 49-47.
 
That lead would be short lived as the Reddies went on a 17-6 run to take its biggest lead of the day at 64-55 with 33 seconds to go in the third.
 
Cantwell would end the run and score the final points of the third with a layup to close the deficit to 65-57 after three.
 
SE would tie the game early in the fourth but HSU would push out to a six-point lead with 4:34 to play, going up 77-71.
 
A Webb jumper would answer and open an 8-0 run that Webb also capped to take a 79-77 lead with 29 seconds to play.
 
The Reddies would get a layup with 10 seconds left to tie and send the game to OT.
 
Southeastern scored the first four points of overtime on a pair of Cantwell free throws and a Haiden Williams jumper, but HSU answered with five-straight to take an 84-83 lead with 1:41 to go.
 
Cantwell would connect on a layup with 50 seconds to play to regain the lead and she and Branam would each hit a free throw to push the Storm lead to 87-84 and the final Reddie shot would be off the mark to preserve the victory.