Savage Storm Pick Up Second-Straight Win

DURANT, Okla. – Adam Dworsky recorded a double-double while Vadim Clanet added a 20-point scoring effort to lift Southeastern to a 76-64 victory over Northwestern Oklahoma State on Saturday evening in Bloomer Sullivan Arena.
 
The win lifts the Savage Storm to 4-5 on the season and in Great American Conference Western Division play heading into the third swing through the division schedule which will begin with a Feb. 4 matchup with Southwestern Oklahoma State at 7:30 p.m. in Weatherford, Okla.
 
"Our first shot defense was good," said head coach Kelly Green, "Our blocking out was not good. We gave up 17 offensive rebounds. We knew that one of their best offenses was throw the ball up on the glass and go get it. We've talked about it and we've worked on blocking out some. It's just a fight. We're not going to outjump other teams so we have to make sure we get position and hold them off and then go rebound the ball."
 
"We try to tell our guys," Green continued, "Get your feet set and shoot the ball. We're not a team that can go create shots off the dribble. We've got one or two guys who can bounce it and go in and rise up and shoot it, but for the most part we're not the kind of team that's going to shake you and go up and shoot the ball over you. So we've got to do it through the pass. Out of the ball screen, get the defense rotating and then make the extra pass."
 
Dworsky dropped 17 points in the effort and logged his third double-double of the season with 11 assists, adding six rebounds for good measure.
 
Clanet hit the 20-point mark for the second time this season, doing so on the strength of a 6-of-9 effort from three-point range. He just missed his own double-double with nine rebounds.
 
Adam Nance turned in another new season-high with 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting with three threes.
 
Southeastern shot 46.4 percent from the field and held its opponents to a 38.7 percent effort, while on the glass the Storm were dominant with a 43-to-33 edge overall, while pulling down 18 offensive boards.
 
SE opened with a 7-2 run capped by a Clanet bucket early in the first half.
 
By the 12:12 mark of the half the lead hit double-figures on a Nance three at 20-10.
 
The Storm lead reached as high as 16 points twice in the half, the second time on a Dworsky bucket to go ahead 29-13 with 6:31 to play in the half.
 
NWOSU would whittle the lead down to 33-24 with 1:43 to go in the first, but the Storm would take a 36-26 lead to the locker room at the half.
 
The Rangers came out and immediately cut the lead to single-digits twice early in the second half, but five quick SE points would push the lead back to 13 points.
 
NWOSU would once more cut the deficit to eight points with 11:29 to play, but a 10-0 run capped by a Clanet three would balloon the Storm lead to 63-45 with 8:57 to play.
 
The lead would hit 19 points three times, the last of those on a Dworsky free throw with 2:15 to play.
 
The Rangers would score the final seven points of the game to fashion he final of 76-64.