[February 17, 2007]

ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Southern Arkansas used the strength of a 33-26 halftime advantage to hold on and knock off Ouachita Baptist, 75-68, Saturday at Vining Arena. The Muleriders (11-14, 5-7 GSC) are on a roll, having won their past three games and keeping alive their chances of gaining a Gulf South Conference tournament berth.

SAU built a 16-point margin in the first half and never trailed in the game, but let things get close in the second stanza. Leon Stone’s three-pointer gave Southern Arkansas a 42-33 margin at 15:52, but the Tigers used a 10-2 run over the next two minutes to quickly narrow it to a one-point game, 44-43. The Muleriders responded, scoring seven unanswered to push it back to 51-43 on Caleb Winters’ jumper with 10:16 remaining, and held a 10-point lead, 67-57, at 4:19. OBU managed to narrow it to three on two different occasions, the last on Jaranimo Marks’ lay-up with 54 ticks left, but SAU used four free throws from Mori Turpin down the stretch to seal the win.

Southern Arkansas jumped out to a 7-0 lead to begin the game, eventually stretching that out to a 25-9 advantage at 7:24. Ouachita Baptist clawed back, using a 13-2 spree to pull within five, 27-22, at 2:06. From there, Turpin’s two bombs from downtown helped the Muleriders maintain a seven-point lead at the break.

SAU’s hot shooting in the first half continued throughout the whole game, while the Tigers had an absolutely dismal first frame. OBU got only eight of 23 shots (34.8 percent) to fall during that period, while Southern Arkansas was 12 of 23 (52.2). The Muleriders hit four of five (80.0) from downtown in that span, and Ouachita Baptist hit four of 12 (33.3). SAU finished 24 of 45 (53.3) from the floor, including seven of 11 (63.6) three-pointers. The Tigers finally warmed up, knocking down 15 of 24 (62.5) in the second half to finish 23 of 47 (48.9) for the game. They were nine of 24 (37.5) on treys. Southern Arkansas used the free throw line to its advantage, converting on 20 of 23 attempts (87.0), while OBU managed just 13 of 20 (65.0).

Turpin scored 19 to lead the Muleriders, including a perfect five of five at the charity stripe. Cory Green added 17 points, playing all 40 minutes, and hitting seven of eight from the stripe. Stone gave the team a huge lift with 16 points, and Ndubuisi Egwuatu was big off the bench, hitting five of seven key free throws to finish with five points and four rebounds in 15 minutes of play. Winters also saw all 40 minutes of action, scoring eight. Turpin and Cameron Butler also pulled down four boards each.

Memo Rodriguez led all scorers with 23 points. He also grabbed for rebounds. Brandon Dawson chipped in 12 points for Ouachita Baptist. Marks finished with nine, dished out six assists, and also had four boards.

With wins over Arkansas Tech last Saturday, Delta State on Thursday, and now Ouachita Baptist, SAU’s three-game streak is their first in three years, going back to the 2003-04 season. It’s their first three consecutive wins over GSC opponents in six seasons, since winning four straight conference games over OBU, Tech, Arkansas-Monticello, and Central Arkansas in 2000-01. Southern Arkansas’ 11 wins on the year is their most since going 16-10 in 2001-02.

The Muleriders, currently sixth in the GSC West Division, need to win their final two games, and hope for some help, to gain the fifth berth in the post-season tournament. SAU hosts Harding on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and closes the regular season next Saturday, traveling to face Arkansas-Monticello in a 4 p.m. contest.

#SAU#