FORT SMITH, Ark. -- Despite surviving a cold-shooting first half, Midwestern State couldn't complete the rally Friday night at Stubblefield Center, falling to No. 5-ranked Southern Nazarene in the first game of the UAFS Thanksgiving Classic, 77-72.

Trailing by as much as 13 in the first half, MSU Texas even grabbed a 4-point lead in the final five minutes. But SNU (5-0) hit a couple of clutch baskets, along with timely free throws to pull away in the final seconds. An offensive rebound after a missed 3-pointer by the Crimson Storm led to game-deciding foul shots with seven seconds left.

The Mustangs (3-3) have now dropped two straight games in Fort Smith after losing to Arkansas-Fort Smith 77-66 on Wednesday. The Mustangs will look to avenge the losses Saturday with a matchup with Ouachita Baptist. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m.

Against SNU, the Mustangs got some productive play off the bench, highlighted by JaJuan Starks, who led the team with 20 points. Dorian Chatman also added 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including several big shots in the final minutes.

Elijah Lee added 13 points and Josh Wallace had 12. Gilbert Thomas pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds. Freshman guard Terrell Wilson came off the bench to score eight points.

Jhonathan Dunn paced SNU with 30 points, while Noah Starkey scored 18 and had six rebounds. Former MSU Texas guard Logan Hicks came off the bench for the Crimson Storm and scored five points.

Trailing 39-30 at the half, MSU raced out to a 12-3 run to tie the game at 42. SNU pushed the lead back up to seven and eight points on two occasions but thanks to shooting 61.5 percent from the floor in the second half, MSU stayed within striking distance.