SE Powers Past NWOSU in Second Meeting 71-65

ALVA, Okla. – Southeastern completed the series sweep against Northwestern Oklahoma State on Monday night, taking down the Rangers 71-65 inside Percefull Fieldhouse.
 
The Savage Storm shot 56.5 percent from the floor in the second half to finish the game with a 49.1 percent clip. The blue and gold locked down NWOSU three-point shooting, holding the Rangers to 1-12 shooting from beyond the arc, while the blue and gold went 7-24 from deep.
 
SE had three players score in double-figures, led by Chandler Dickinson with 21 points on 8-11 shooting. Ethan Wilkerson chipped in 14 points, while Santiago Camacho Gomez recorded a double-double with ten points and a team-high 11 rebounds. The Storm finished with 39 rebounds, including nine offensive rebounds that led to eight second-chance points.
 
The Storm struck first, but the Rangers scored eight unanswered points to take an early lead, 8-2. SE soon fell behind 16-8 to the Rangers before responding with an 8-0 run, featuring back-to-back three pointers by Dickinson to tie the score 16-16 at the midway point. However, NWOSU continued to score in bunches and would outscore the Storm 15-4 over the next five minutes to push ahead 31-20.
 
Despite falling behind, Southeastern continued to battle and found rhythm late in the final four and a half minutes to bring down the Northwestern lead to two at the break. During this stretch, Dickinson and Wilkerson combined for eight points, while Ethan Scott knocked down the third triple of the half for SE, as the Storm trailed 35-33 at halftime.
 
SE and NWOSU matched each other in scoring to begin the second half, with the Rangers holding a 41-38 edge. Dunn drained a three-pointer to keep up the scoring for the blue and gold, and not long after, Wilkerson and Dickinson made back-to-back baskets to build momentum for the Storm. SE soon exploded for 12 straight points, including two triples from Scott, to surge ahead 59-51.
 
After the flurry from Southeastern, the Storm and Rangers went back to trading baskets, and a three-pointer by Dickinson and three points by Wilkerson kept the blue and gold in front 67-59. However, Northwestern quickly reeled off a 6-2 run to cut the SE edge to four with thirty-seven seconds remaining, but Southeastern would close out the game at the foul line to hold off the Rangers, 71-65.
 
Southeastern (7-17, 6-12) returns to Durant for a three-game home stand, beginning on Thursday, Feb. 19 at 7:30 p.m., when Arkansas Tech visits Bloomer Sullivan Arena.