Southern Arkansas Lady Muleriders (4-3, 1-1 GAC)
at Ouachita Baptist Lady Tigers (0-5, 0-2 GAC) Thursday, December 5 @ 5:30 p.m Arkadelphia, Ark. (Bill Vining Arena) Live Audio | Live Stats	at Henderson State Lady Reddies (4-2, 1-1 GAC) Saturday, December 7 @ 2 p.m Arkadelphia, Ark. (Duke Wells Center) Live Audio | Live Stats | Live Video

Game Notes (PDF)

Setting the Scene
        The Lady Muleriders enter play this week looking to better their 1-1 start to Great American Conference play as they hit the road to take on Ouachita Baptist and Henderson State. This will be the Lady Muleriders' first road conference games of the season. Last year, the Lady Muleriders were 0-10 in road conference games and are 1-2 on the road this year.
 
Last Year vs. Ouachita Baptist
        Last season, the Lady Muleriders dropped both games to the Lady Tigers. The first meeting was an eight-point loss for SAU, 74-66. The second meeting ended up even closer as the Lady Tigers held off a second half charge by the Lady Muleriders for a four-point win, 66-62.
 
Last Year vs. Henderson State    
        Last year, the Lady Muleriders lost both games to the Lady Reddies. The inital meeting saw the Lady Muleriders nearly overcome a 17-point first half defict to collect their first win of the season, but the Lady Reddies withstood the charge and held on for a 62-59 win. The second meeting was not nearly as close as it was the Lady Muleriders' final game of the season. In that game, the Lady Muleriders shot just 22% as they were beaten by the Lady Reddies by a score of 88-58.

Rainbolt Era Bringing Culture Change
      Since his hire in April of 2013, first-year head coach Rusty Rainbolt has worked hard to change the culture surrounding the Southern Arkansas women's basketball team. In the few months since, Rainbolt's efforts are beginning to show early returns as fans and players alike are buying into his "family-first" atmosphere.
      Evidence of that from a fan perspective is the fact that the average home attendance is up from a year ago through the first three home games.
      Evidence of the players buying in is in the fact that 12 players average 10 or more minutes of playing time a game. Additionally, the Lady Muleriders have won more games (4) than the previous two seasons combined.
 
Gotta Start with One
      Mired in a 35-game losing streak, the revamped 2013-14 Lady Muleriders wasted little time in snapping that lengthy streak as they won their home-opener over Rogers State by a score of 86-72. The win was the first for the program since January 26, 2012 and was the first for Rusty Rainbolt as the Lady Mulerider head coach.
 
Full-Court Pressure
      Early on in the season, one thing that can be expected from the SAU women's basketball team is that they will play a lot of full-court pressure defense. That up-tempo style of defense has frustrated opposing offenses to commit 152 turnovers. 93 of those forced turnovers have been a result of a steal by the Lady Muleriders. Those 93 steals are tops in the GAC.
 
Give Me A Break
      Three times this season, the Lady Muleriders have held a lead heading into halftime. In those games, the Lady Muleriders have gone on to win and are 3-0. In games in which they either trail or are tied at the half, the Lady Muleriders are 1-3.
 
Spreading the Wealth
      Only one player is averaging double figures on the season, but that is not to say that the Lady Muleriders are not scoring. On the year, SAU is averaging 71.0 points per game, and those points are coming from a variety of sources as eight players are averaging five or more points a game.
 
Logging the Minutes
      So far this year, all 13 active players have started at least once game, but no player has started every game. This has led to a fairly even distribution of minutes among the players. Evidence of this is the fact that 12 players average over 10 minutes a game and five average over 19 minutes per game. Additionally, no player averages 25 or more minutes.
 
Hockey Line Change
      In four of the first seven games this season, the first substitution made by the Lady Muleriders has looked like a hockey line change as all five on the court have given way to a fresh five players from the bench. That all-out swap generally occurs several more times in a game, but is less prevalent as a game wears on.
 
Chanel No. 3
      Despite only starting three games, junior forward Chanel Miller has been the Lady Muleriders' top scorer over the first seven games this season as she averages 15.1 ppg. In all but one game, Miller has scored in double-figures and has scored 18 or more points four times.
 
Growing Up
      Last year, the Southern Arkansas women's basketball team was one of the youngest teams in the GAC as they had 12 freshmen or sophomores, only two juniors and no seniors. This year, thanks to only three returners and 10 transfers, the Lady Muleriders' roster boasts 12 juniors, one senior, and no freshman or sophomores.
 
Crashing the Boards
      Through the first seven games, the Lady Muleriders are showing the ability to pull down rebounds at a high clip. On the year, SAU is leading the GAC in total rebounds (333), total rebounds per game (47.6), offensive rebounds (136), and offensive rebounds per game (19.4).
      Helping lead the charge in rebounding is Miranda Grier, Chanel Miller, Mariam Ridgwell, Allie Wade, and Barvion Wyatt. Those five average over four rebounds per game and collectively, they are responsible for 25.1 of the team's 47.6 rebounds per game.
 
Quick Hands
      With a GAC-leading 93 steals on the season, the Lady Muleriders are showing that they are very active and have quick hands on the defensive end of the court. As with most stat categories, the steals come as a team effort as seven players have at least 10 steals on the year. Leading the way individually is Mariam Ridgwell with 14 steals.
 
Dialing Long Distance
      Three-point shooting has not been a strong suit of the Lady Muleriders so far this season as they are connecting on just 22% of their tries from long range. While the percentage is low, the Lady Muleriders also do not shoot many three's as is. So far, only 21% of their field goal attempts come from beyond the arc.