Box Score

MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Junior guard Chauncy Williams made his season debut for the Southern Arkansas men's basketball team on Thursday night and the Milwaukee, Wis. native made the most of his first action as a Mulerider as he led the team with 22 points and helped guide SAU past Southeastern Oklahoma by a score of 71-63 in Great American Conference action.
 
Williams did not start Thursday night's contest, but did sub into the game at the 16:23 mark of the first half. Shortly after his entrance into the game, Williams scored his first points as a Mulerider after he made a pair of free throws. Minutes later, Williams knocked down a three-pointer for his first field goal of the game. Williams would go on to add eight more points as he ended the first half with 12 points.
 
The scoring spark that Williams provided in the first half helped fuel an eight-minute, 18-2 run that the Muleriders (5-4, 2-2 GAC) went on to start the game. The Muleriders would grow that lead out to as much as 20 points late in the first half, but a 10-3 run by the Savage Storm (4-4, 2-1 GAC) over the final four minutes of the half gave the Muleriders a 13-point lead, 41-28, heading into the break.
 
To begin the second half, the Savage Storm continued to chip away at the Muleriders' lead as they doubled up SAU 16-8 over the first 5:30 of the second half to pull to within five points, 49-44. A quick five-point burst by the Muleriders followed and pushed the lead back out to 10 points, 54-44, but the Savage Storm would take advantage of the Muleriders sudden cold shooting as they went on an 11-1 run to knot the game for the first time since early in the first half. That run lasted just over six minutes and during it, the Muleriders were 0-for-7 from the field (0-for-5 3PT) and turned the ball over three times.
 
The Muleriders would weather that storm; however, as they pushed back on top for good on the strength of a pair of Williams free throws. From there, the Savage Storm would only get as close as three points as the Muleriders slowly began to rebuild a double-digit lead in the closing minutes of the game.
 
Three other Muleriders joined Williams in double figure scoring as Tyrell Taylor scored 13 points while Alre'k Brown and Duke Reed added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
 
In terms of team statistics, one of the significant differences in the game came at the free throw line. For the game, the Savage Storm were 13-of-22 (59%) while the Muleriders were 34-of-44 (77%).
 
The Muleriders will now prepare for a home game against East Central. That game is scheduled for a 4 p.m. tip-off on Saturday, January 4 at the W.T. Watson Center.