SAU Finishes 1-1 at UAM Classic

By: Houston Taylor

MONTICELLO, Ark. – Southern Arkansas got tripped up 61-60 by Mobile (Ala.) in their final play Saturday to finish 1-1 in the Arkansas-Monticello Dr. Mary Jane Gilbert Classic at Steelman Field House. The Lady Muleriders won a close 66-64 decision over Arkansas-Fort Smith Friday.

Trailing 60-59, guard Gerica Johnson hit two free throws with 1:27 left in the game to give the Lady Rams (6-1) the win. SAU (2-1) missed three shots down the stretch trying to change the outcome. Johnson poured in 27 points and matched a team-high with six rebounds en route to being named MVP of the classic.

Southern Arkansas trailed the entire first half and was down 18-6 at the 9:53 mark, but outscored Mobile 22-12 from there to close it to a 30-28 game at the break.

The Lady Muleriders came out the second half and knotted it at the 17:41 mark on sophomore center Kmaria Hobbs’ (Clarksville, Texas) lay-up and then took their first lead a minute later on junior Kristy Shinn’s (Lonoke) jumper. SAU eventually went up 56-50 at 4:53 on junior forward Cha’Kia Lee’s (Springhill, La.) lay-up, but couldn’t hold the lead. Johnson scored the Lady Rams’ final six points.

Mobile hit 23 of 53 from the floor for 43.4 percent, including 5 of 12 (41.7) three-pointers, and was perfect at the free throw line in 10 attempts. Southern Arkansas hit only 27 of 70 shots (38.6), 3 of 14 (21.4) beyond the arc, and was 3 of 7 (42.9) at the charity stripe. The Lady Muleriders held a 40-36 rebound advantage.

Hobbs finished with 18 points to lead SAU and grabbed nine rebounds. Lee added 14 points to go with her 22 against Arkansas-Fort Smith and was named to the all-tournament team. Sophomore center Shenelda Levingston (El Dorado) scored 13 points and pulled down a game-high 15 boards, including 11 on the offensive end.

Morgan Melancon finished with 11 points for the Lady Rams, and Kyiona Bolton also had six rebounds.

Others named to the all-tournament team were Mobile’s Alice Honnery, who had six blocked shots against Southern Arkansas, Vasha Sanders of Arkansas-Fort Smith, and Arkansas-Monticello’s Chelsea Johnson.

The Lady Muleriders get a week off before traveling to Durant for the Southeastern Oklahoma State Classic next weekend. They face East Central (Okla.) on Friday at 4 p.m. before squaring off against the host Savage Storm Saturday at 6 p.m.