Box Score MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Southern Arkansas' mid-game slump opened the door for Southern Nazarene to walk away with a 72-53 win in Great American Conference play Saturday at the W.T. Watson Athletic Center.
 
Holding a 27-22 advantage with 6:33 left in the first half, the Muleriders (6-7, 2-5 GAC) then scored only two points over the next 12 minutes that spanned both halves.  Meanwhile, the Crimson Storm (8-6, 3-5 GAC) concluded a 23-2 run that lifted them to a 45-29 advantage at 14:51 in the second half.  SNU held a 33-29 lead at the half.
 
Quan Conner paced Southern Nazarene with 24 points and seven assists.  Ryan Aaron scored 15 points, and Brady Burford added 11.
 
Junior guard Brandon Demmings (Indianapolis, Ind.) led SAU with 13 points, and junior forward Nigel Jones (Wadley, Ala.) scored 11.
 
Southern Arkansas scored seven unanswered points to pull within 45-36 with 11:17 left in the game, but the Crimson Storm outscored them 24-10 over the next nine minutes for their largest lead of 69-46 with 1:50 remaining.
 
The Muleriders made just one field goal in 14 attempts and missed a pair of free throws during their drought.
 
SNU jumped out to a 9-2 lead to begin the game and was up 19-12 midway the half.  But SAU used a 15-3 scoring spree for the 27-22 lead before they went cold.
 
Southern Arkansas finished at 38.2 percent shooting for the game on 21 of 55, and was 6 of 14 at the foul stripe, while Southern Nazarene hit at a 54.3 percent clip on 25 of 46, and 13 of 21 free throws.
 
The Muleriders' 53 points was a season-low.
 
SAU had the advantage in points scored inside (28-20), off turnovers (23-12) and bench points (32-26), but the Crimson Storm held a 37-23 rebound margin, including 30 on the defensive end that limited Southern Arkansas' chances.
 
Tyrone Lyons had eight rebounds for SNU.  Jones grabbed four for the Muleriders.
 
SAU hosts Harding in conference play Thursday with an approximate tip time of 7:30 p.m.