Box Score

FORT SMITH, Ark. – The St. Edward's men's basketball team shot just 37 percent from the field as they fell to Southern Nazarene, 84-75, Saturday afternoon at the Stubblefield Center. This was its final game in the Parker Memorial Lions classic hosted by fellow Heartland Conference member Arkansas Fort Smith.
 
In the first three minutes of action, the lead was exchanged three times, with the score tied 4-4, with 16:57 on the clock. Southern Nazarene (5-3) then went on a 13-4 run over the next five minutes. Tyron Lyons led the way with six points during the first meaningful run that gave the Crimson Storm a 17-8 advantage.
 
HARLEY NUSSMAN would come off of the bench for St. Edward's (6-6) and hit back-to-back baskets for the Hilltoppers to start them on a 14-4 run that closed the gap to one point, 22-21, with 3:37 left in the first half. A three-pointer by JOHN RUTHERFORD with 45 seconds kept the deficit at one, but a free throw by Quan Conner with 38 seconds left gave Southern Nazarene a 31-29 lead at the break.
 
St. Edward's shot just 31 percent from the floor in the first half and only made 3-of-16 shots from downtown.
 
In the second half, the Hilltoppers improved its shooting and opened with a layup by FRANKIE MGBOLU and a three pointer by SHIMEEK JOHNSON to take their first lead since early in the first half.
 
In the back-and-forth second half, the game would be tied five times in the first six minutes of action. With Southern Nazarene ahead by one, St. Edward's got another bucket by Nussman and a trey by Rutherford. ZILIJAN JONES also got into the mix with a layup at the 13:12 mark to give the Hilltoppers its largest lead of the game, 52-46.
 
That is when Lyons went to work for Southern Nazarene as he scored five points to lead the team in scoring 13 unanswered points to take its own seven-point advantage.
 
Two buckets by JAMES STUKES, and a timely three pointer from JEFF CAMPBELL gave the Hilltoppers a chance as they cut the deficit to two points, 68-66, with 2:14 remaining.
 
Back-to-back buckets by Ryan Aaron would lead the Crimson Storm to an 8-0 run, to give them a 76-66 lead with 56 seconds left. St. Edward's would miss two shots from the field and two free throws during the decisive run.
 
Southern Nazarene would end the game going 6-for-6 from the charity stripe to seal the deal.
 
Johnson led the Hilltoppers with 22 points, while Stukes added 17 points in the loss. In the last four games, Stukes has averaged 16.7 points a game. Nussman tallied six points and a team-high eight rebounds, while Jones chipped in with eight points, five assists and four steals.
 
Lyons led the Crimson Storm with 25 points and 11 rebounds, while Aaron added 17 points. Brady Burford registered 11 points and 10 rebounds while Conner scored 10 points.
 
St. Edward's will be back in action Dec. 15-19 when they travel to take part in the 2012 Oahu Classic. The four-game tourney will take place in in both Honolulu and Hilo. They will open on Nov. 15^th against NW Missouri State in Honolulu. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. at McKinley High School. Live Stats will be available on the Hilltopper Athletic Website.