DURANT, OKLA. – The Southeastern men's basketball team returns from the holiday break with a trip to Bethany, Okla., to battle No. 9 Southern Nazarene in the Sawyer Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, at 3 p.m.
SERIES NOTES
- Southeastern has lost the last three meetings with Southern Nazarene, heading into the 32nd matchup since joining the GAC. SNU leads the series 17-14 and is 6-4 in the last ten games in the Sawyer Center.
- In the season series last year, the blue and gold fell in a two-possession game to the Crimson Storm at home, 87-81, with Santiago Camacho Gomez and Ethan Wilkerson combining for 28 points. During the second meeting in Bethany, SNU got the upper hand in a 72-60 win.
STORM REPORT
Southeastern will be looking to get back on track in its return from the holiday break after seeing back-to-back defeats to close out the fall portion of its schedule. Most recently, the blue and gold fell at home to Southwestern Oklahoma State in a 74-62 loss. The defeat dropped the Storm to 3-8 overall on the year, and they are 2-3 in the GAC standings.
The Storm has three players scoring in double-figures, led by
Ethan Wilkerson with 12.6 points per game. The sophomore from Madill, Okla., has been on a hot streak, having reached double-digit points in his last three games, and is averaging 22.6 points per game during this stretch. In addition to his scoring efforts, Wilkerson also paces the team at the glass with 6.3 rebounds per game. Helping chip in with the scoring is
Chandler Dickinson with 11.9 points per contest and
Ethan Scott with 10.7 a game.
Dickinson has quickly found his form after a slow start to the season, having scored 10 or more points in his last six games, including a career-high 24 against Northwestern Oklahoma State. The Rockwall, Texas native is shooting 45.4 percent from the field with a team-second-best 49 field goals made, while Wilkerson leads the team with 57 baskets from the floor. As a unit, Southeastern is shooting 46.6 percent from the field and averaging 74.7 points per game.
SE's struggles this season have come at the glass, where they are averaging 33.7 rebounds per game, which ranks ninth in the GAC. However, opponents are averaging 36.0 rebounds per game – the second-most among GAC teams – giving the Storm a -2.3 rebound margin. The blue and gold have won the battle at the glass in four games this season, with their best outing coming against NWOSU, when they outrebounded the Rangers 43-29.
SCOUTING SOUTHERN NAZARENE
The nationally ranked No. 9 Crimson Storm suffered their first loss of the season last time out with a 63-60 defeat at Northwestern Oklahoma State. SNU entered the game as the No. 3 team in the country but fell to 10-1 on the season and 4-1 in GAC, following the loss to the Rangers. Southern Nazarene returns to the Sawyer Center for its seventh home game this season, where it is 6-0.
SNU is led by its scoring defense, which ranks fourth in the conference, giving up 66.8 points per game. Helping pace the efforts is Baron Bracey, who leads the GAC in rebounds with 8.4 per game and has a league-high 6.5 defensive rebounds per game. Bracey also leads the side in scoring, as he ranks fifth in the league with 15.6 points per game. The Crimson Storm is averaging 76.5 points per game and 36.7 rebounds per contest as a team.
