In the first half that featured seven ties, Tougaloo built an eight-point lead at 27-19 midway through the first half. Southern Nazarene stayed close and used a 15-2 run to grab a 40-35 lead with 2:20 remaining in the period. The Crimson Storm pushed the advantage to six points before senior guard Walter Howard sank a three-point basket as the buzzer sounded to bring Tougaloo back within 44-41 at the half.

Southern Nazarene made 14-of-16 free throw attempts in the first half, which included senior post Jeremy Lightfoot making all five of his attempts in the period, while Tougaloo made just 7-of-13. The second half proved to be the difference as the Crimson Storm pulled away outscoring the Bulldogs 42-32 to complete the double-digit win.

Leading the way for Southern Nazarene was Lightfoot with 29 points along with six rebounds and one assist. Senior forward Vladimir Bulut added 16 points and 10 rebounds. Junior guard A.J. Thomas added 15 points with four rebounds and three assists for the Crimson Storm.

Southern Nazarene opened things up in the second half with a 17-1 run to extend its lead to 68-51 with 7:34 to play. Tougaloo answered by scoring the next seven points to pull back within 68-58, but could get no closer as the Crimson Storm responded with a 12-2 run to take its biggest lead of the night, 80-60, at the 3:34 mark.

For Tougaloo, senior guard Walter Howard ended with 16 points, three rebounds and two assists, while sophomore center Sylvester Collins added 11 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. The Bulldogs close out the season with a record of 22-9.

Southern Nazarene, now 26-7 on the season, will play the winner of either No. 10 seed Union University (Tenn.) or the University of Montana Western on Friday at 9:45 p.m. CT at Municipal Auditorium.

NOTES: Southern Nazarene improves its tournament record to 11-8, which includes a 5-6 mark in first-round games ... Tougaloo is making its third appearance overall and falls to 2-3 in the tournament ... Southern Nazarene's Jeremy Lightfoot recorded his season-high with 29 points ... During the regular season Tougaloo's Sylvester Collins led the NAIA in blocks and recorded five more against Southern Nazarene ... Southern Nazarene dominated the paint outscoring Tougaloo 38-24 in the middle.