SE Just Misses in Upset Bid vs #13 SWOSU

DURANT, Okla. – Briley Moon and Kamryn Cantwell combined for 36 points in a push to knock off 13^th-ranked Southwestern Oklahoma State on Thursday night, but the upset bid fell just short in a 77-67 loss in Bloomer Sullivan Arena.

The loss evens the Savage Storm record at 3-3 on the year and 3-3 in Great American Conference Western Division play heading into a Saturday home matchup with Oklahoma Baptist at 2 p.m.
 
"The biggest difference in the game," said head coach Darin Grover, "Was missed open threes and they were wide open, you have to able to cash those in. So you've got missed open threes plus our turnovers which we doubled the amount of turnovers they had. And most importantly was our turnovers led directly to their points. Points off turnovers is a goofy stat, but direct points off turnovers is a different stat."
 
Moon finished the contest with 19 points, including a trio of threes, while Cantwell shot 7-of-11 and was 2-of-2 from beyond the arc for 17 points on the night.
 
Katie Branam and Jordan Benson each just missed double-figures with nine points apiece.
 
SE finished the contest with 18 assists, led by Cantwell and Benson with five each.
 
Branam hauled in a team-best eight rebounds, while Cantwell and Benson each pulled down seven.
 
As a team the Storm defense held the Bulldogs to 18 points under their season average of 95.0 ppg.
 
Part of that was winning the rebounding battle 45-to-39, including a 10-to-8 edge on the offensive glass.
 
 SE got on the board first with a Branbam layup inside the first minute and the teams would trade buckets throughout the first quarter with the Storm taking the first two-possession lead of the game on an Aimee Alverson jumper with 24 seconds to play in the opening frame to go ahead 21-17 before settling on a 21-20 lead at the first quarter break.
 
The Storm opened the second quarter on a 7-0 run, capped by back-to-back Cantwell buckets to take a 28-20 lead at the 5:52 mark.
 
SWOSU answered with a 9-0 run to take a 29-28 lead by the 2:45 mark, but a Cantwell floater would stop the run and regain the SE lead.
 
The Storm would close out the half by holding onto a 34-31 lead.
 
The Bulldogs came out firing to open the second half and reeled off a 10-2 run to take a 41-36 lkead by the 7:54 mark of the third quarter.
 
Benson would score the next five points, tying the game before a Moon three would put SE back in front 44-41 with 7:02 remaining in the third.
 
The teams would continue to trade one-possession leads for the remainder of the quarter with SWOSU holding a 53-52 edge heading to the fourth quarter.
 
The Bulldogs then opened the final frame with a 9-2 run to push the lead out to 62-54 before a Cantwell fastbreak bucket triggered a 10-4 answer to close to within 66-64 with 3:02 remaining.
 
However, SWOSU would outscore the Storm 11-3 over the final three minutes to pull away to the final of 77-67.