Storm Upset Bid Falls Short vs No. 20 SWOSU

DURANT, Okla. – Chandler Kemp posted a career-high 24 points and Briley Moon added a double-double, but it was not enough to lift Southeastern in a 73-66 loss to No. 20 Southwestern Oklahoma State on Saturday evening in Bloomer Sullivan Arena.
 
The loss drops the Savage Storm to 8-7 on the year in Great American Conference Western Division play heading into a Monday night showdown with rival East Central at 5:30 p.m. in Ada, Okla.
 
"Every single time we got it close," said head coach Darin Grover, "We would make a critical mistake and then boom, they'd knock down a three or get an offensive rebound or whatever it may be. Or we'd have a turnover in the press and lead to easy baskets. Seems like that's the way it was like three separate times during the game. I was proud of our kids. In the second half we did a much better job of defending their dribble-drive."
 
Kemp blew past her previous career-high of 13 points, finishing with 24 points on the night on a 10-of-18 shooting effort with a 4-of-6 mark at the free throw line.
 
Moon was right on her heels with 22 points thanks to a 4-of-7 effort from beyond the arc, and added a double-double with a team-high 11 rebounds.
 
The duo combined for 46 of the team's 66 points and were the only two SE players in double-figures.
 
Jordan Benson added seven points and Katie Branam turned in six.
 
SE held a 43-to-41 edge on the boards as a team, with Benson adding eight and Kemp turning in five to go with Moon's 11.
 
Branam and Moon would each hand out three assists.
 
A Moon three opened scoring in the contest and the teams see-sawed one-possession leads throughout the first five minutes of the first quarter until SWOSU put together 12-4 run over the final five minutes to take a 24-17 lead after one.
 
The deficit would grow to 10 points by the 6:00 mark of the second quarter, but a Moon would connect on back-to-back threes and a Kemp bucket in transition would close the gap to 31-29 with 5:01 to go in the second.
 
Unfortunately, the Bulldogs would score the final 10-points of the half and lead 41-29 at the halftime break.
 
SE would open the second half by chipping away at the deficit, using a 9-1 run capped by a Branam layup to close the gap to 42-38 with 6:22 to go in the third quarter.
 
After a SWOSU answer, a Williams' jumper at the 5:09 mark would make it a one-possession game at 43-40.
 
The Bulldogs would again answer, pushing its lead back to nine points by the end of the third quarter at 53-44.
 
SE would use another run in the fourth, this one 10-3 and capped by a Moon layup to trim the deficit to 58-56 with 4:55 to play.
 
SWOSU would answer and the Storm responded again with a pair of Kemp free throws again closing the gap to two points.
 
That was as close as it would get however, as the Bulldogs answered with a 9-3 run and would connect on 4-of-6 free throws in the final 42 seconds to hand SE a 73-66 loss.