This past Thursday our very own Southern Nazarene University men’s and women’s basketball teams beat Northwestern Oklahoma State, making them the Great American Conference regular season champions and securing their spot as the number one seed going into tournament play. SNU has become 1 of 3 schools in Division II whose men’s and women’s basketball achieved 20+ wins this season.
The men end their regular season with a 25-3 record, going 21-1 in conference games. They outscored opponents 2,001 to 1,595, with a 14.5 scoring margin. The men were led in scoring by Tyler McGhie, averaging 17.8 points. They were the only team with 3 scorers on the top 20 (Tyler McGhie, JaVon Jackson, and Nick Davis). They were also 1 of 3 teams in Division II with both a top 25 offense and defense. They are current tied for 3rd in the central region rankings with the University of Central Oklahoma who they beat in an exhibition game and ranked 13th on the nation for the NABC coaches ranking.
The women’s basketball team ended their regular season with 24-4 record going 21-1 in conference games. They outscored opponents 1,890 to 1,613 with a 9.9 scoring margin and was led in scoring by Georgia Adams averaging 14.9 points. The women’s team had 4 people averaging over 10 points with Georgia Adams (14.9), Cassandra Awatt (13.5), Hannah Giddey
(11.6), and Emily Monaghan (10.0). They are currently ranked 9th in the central region as they head into tournament play.
Hannah Giddey, when asked about being regular season champions, suggested she’s hoping this victory will propel them forward in the future. “It felt amazing coming together, wining regular season champions, and seeing us having a season like we did be recognized,” said Giddey. “But that’s all it was. We can’t get complacent. We have our goals set on higher achievements, and we won’t settle.”
SNU is set to play their first GAC Championship Tournament game tonight in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
Photo by Gene Gallin on Unsplash