BETHANY, Okla. – Playing a third road game in six days, the Arkansas Tech men's basketball team battled throughout the entirety of the contest and nearly stopped the lengthy winning streak that Southern Nazarene had heading into play, but ultimately fell just short, losing 61-57.
 
Early in the game, SNU took control and grabbed a double-digit lead, 14-3, at the 12:36 mark of the first half.  The Wonder Boys (6-11, 3-8 GAC) would not let the game get away from them and at the 4:05 mark knotted the game at 20-all on a three-pointer by Tony Hall.
 
That Hall trifecta was the middle of what was an 11-0 run that started at the 5:49 mark and ended at the 2:07 mark. That run turned a seven-point deficit into a four-point lead for the Wonder Boys. Tech remained out in front the remainder of the half, but saw a five-point lead dwindle down to a single point as the Crimson Storm (14-5, 9-4 GAC) ripped off a 4-0 burst in the waning seconds of the first half.
 
The second half remained closely-contested, but the Wonder Boys were able to keep out in front and held a lead as large as eight points, 40-32, with 13:43 to play. Tech was unable to grow that lead any further and at the 6:45 mark, SNU grabbed the lead, 46-45.
 
The lead changed hands twice more over the next minute of action with the two teams trading layups. The last of those lead changes went in favor of SNU and sparked what was a 9-0 run that suddenly gave the Crimson Storm an eight-point lead with 3:10 to play.
 
Trailing by that margin with just over two minutes left in the game, the Wonder Boys clawed back into the game and used a quick 5-0 run to pull within three points, 57-54, with 1:03 left on the clock.
 
Having to foul three times in order to send SNU to the line, the Crimson Storm finally went to the charity stripe with 18 seconds left and leading by three points. A successful two makes at the line pushed it back to a five-point lead.
 
On the ensuing trip down the floor, the Wonder Boys once more brought the game within a single possession as Isaac Ragland made good on an old fashioned three-point play. With just seven seconds remaining, the Crimson Storm were able to break a press attempt by the Wonder Boys and made a Fastbreak layup to seal the game.
 
Three Wonder Boys scored in double figures with Hall leading the way with 14 points. Hall also registered a double-double as he hauled in 11 rebounds. Ragland and Cameron Kennedy rounded out double-figure scoring with each scoring 10 points.
 
The Wonder Boys will now get a reprieve from the road and play their next two games at home starting with a Thursday night game against Harding. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.