Storm Defense Smothers UAM in 62-33 Win

DURANT, Okla. – Kenzli Warden posted her second-straight double-double and Southeastern held Arkansas-Monticello to 17.3 percent shooting for the game as the Savage Storm rolled to a 62-33 win on Saturday afternoon in Bloomer Sullivan Arena.
 
The win moves the Savage Storm to 5-9 overall on the season and 2-6 in Great American Conference play heading into a Jan. 15 road contest against Harding in Searcy, Ark.
 
SE picks up a second-straight win by holding the Cotton Blossoms to just 33 points, the fifth-fewest points allowed in the Darin Grover era and the second fewest allowed to a Division II opponent.
 
Mackenzie Espinosa led all scorers in the contest with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting with a pair of threes.
 
Tori Kilburn was next in line with 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting, while Warden rounded out the double-figure scoring with 10 points.
 
She rounded out her second-straight double-double by hauling in a game-high 10 rebounds and added a pair of steals.
 
Kilburn checked in with seven boards and added three assists.
 
The teams traded buckets early and were knotted at 5-5 at the first media timeout.
 
UAM came out of the break and briefly took a one-point lead, but the Storm finished the quarter on a 6-2 spurt to lead 12-9 at the end of one.
 
The teams traded buckets to open the second quarter, with the Blossoms connecting on a field goal at the 9:21 mark.
 
It would be their last field goal for the next 20:50 seconds of game time as UAM would go 4-of-6 at the free throw line and 0-for-8 from the field as SE held a 14-4 edge over the remainder of the quarter and took a 28-15 lead into the halftime break.
 
The Storm defense held UAM to an 0-for-12 effort form the field in the third quarter, with their lone points coming on an 8-of-8 performance at the charity stripe while the Storm were led in the frame by Stevie Stinchomb who scored seven of the team's 17 points as the lead extended to 45-23 heading into the fourth quarter.
 
The Cotton Blossoms ended their drought at the 8:41 mark of the fourth quarter, but the Storm would still outscore UAM in the final frame 17-10, leading by as many as 31 before settling on the 62-33 final score.