Storm Outlasted in Second Meeting with UAM 70-62

MONTICELLO, Ark. – Tyler Long's career night was not enough for Southeastern on the road, falling 70-62 to Arkansas-Monticello in the second meeting this season.
 
SE was held seven points in the final 11 minutes of the game, as the Weevils outscored the blue and gold 22-7 to close out the game. The Savage Storm shot 37.3 percent from the field and went 9-32 from the three-point line for a 28.1 percent clip. UAM held the edge at the glass 33-to-30, while the Storm was perfect at the foul line (9-9).
 
Long led three players in double-digit points for SE with a career-high 14 points on 4-8 shooting from beyond the arc. Ethan Wilkerson recorded 13 points, while Saxon McWilliam converted 5-7 from the field for 11 points. Chandler Dickinson pulled down a team-high nine rebounds and added nine points and two steals to his totals.
 
Southeastern (5-15, 4-10 GAC) rounds out its final Arkansas road trip against Southern Arkansas on Saturday, Feb. 7, at 3 p.m. in the W.T. Watson Athletic Center.
 
The Storm were dialed in from the three-point line to open the game, going 3-for-3 with triples from Long, Wilkerson and Santiago Camacho Gomez to take a 13-8 lead. After the fast start from blue and gold, SE cooled off over the next three minutes, allowing the Weevils to go on a run and grab an 18-15 advantage. McWilliam picked up the pace again for Southeastern with back-to-back baskets before Long connected from deep for the second time in the period to push SE ahead 24-22.
 
However, the Weevils answered back with an 11-0 flurry across the next three minutes to surge in front 33-24. Dickinson stopped the bleeding with a pair of baskets, and he would be followed by a triple from Camacho Gomez in the final two minutes of the half to trail 41-33.  
 
Southeastern came out of the halftime break swinging, tying it 44-44 and eventually taking the lead after outscoring UAM 14-3 in the first five minutes. Long had the first five points of the period, including a three-pointer that sparked a 14-0 run that featured five points from McWilliam to take a 49-44 edge. SE continued to let it fly from beyond the arc with Long and Dickinson combining for a pair of triples to extend the advantage to 55-48.
 
The momentum began to shift at the halfway point in the second half, as UAM started to find its footing after weathering the storm. Arkansas-Monticello made three consecutive three-pointers to regain the advantage, 57-55, and held Southeastern scoreless over the next two and a half minutes to extend the gap to 61-55. SE continued to struggle shooting the ball down the stretch, scoring five points in the final 2:48 as UAM held its lead to the final buzzer, 70-62.