Southern Arkansas LADY MULERIDERS (7-7, 3-5 GAC)

at Henderson State LADY REDDIES (9-5, 4-4 GAC) Thursday, January 21 @ 5:30 p.m Arkadelphia, Ark. (Duke Wells Center) Live Audio (SAU Feed) | Live Stats | Live Video (HSU Feed)

GAME NOTES (PDF)

Setting the Stage
Tonight's game is a make-up date for the previously scheduled matchup between the Lady Muleriders of Southern Arkansas and the Lady Reddies of Henderson State. The original matchup was scheduled for Saturday, December 7, but it was postponed due to inclement weather.
 
This will be the Lady Muleriders' seventh road game of the season. They are currently 2-4 on the road in their previous six games played away from the W.T. Watson Center. The Lady Muleriders will also be looking to end a three-game losing skid, their longest of the season.
 
The Coaches
Southern Arkansas' first-year head coach Rusty Rainbolt continues to push the Lady Mulerider basketball program in a different direction as his 2013-14 squad has already won more games (7) than the previous three years combined. This will be Rainbolt's first games against Harding and Arkansas Tech.
 
Henderson State is coached by Jill Thomas. Thomas enters her first season at Henderson after coming over from Pfeiffer University in North Carolina. At Pfeiffer, Thomas amassed a 64-48 record. In her final season at Pfeiffer, Thomas was named the Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year after guiding her team to a 27-5 record and collected the program's first-ever NCAA Regional Tournament win.  
 
Last Time Out
The Lady Muleriders are coming off of a 42-59 loss at home to Arkansas Tech. In that game, the Lady Muleriders struggled to generate much offense against Tech as they scored just 27 points in the first half. In the second half, the Lady Muleriders were held to their lowest scoring output of the season in a second half as they were limited to 15 points.
 
The Lady Muleriders were led in scoring by Chanel Miller as she scored 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Miller would also lead the team in rebounding with eight rebounds. Cooper was the next leading scorer for the Lady Muleriders as she chipped in eight points.  
 
Last Time vs. Henderson State (March 2, 2013)
These two teams closed out the regular season a year ago in Arkadelphia and it was the Lady Reddies who came away with a sizable win, 88-58. The loss for the Lady Muleriders capped a winless season at 0-25. Three Lady Reddies and three Lady Muleriders scored in double-figures with former players Lauren Jay and Bria Snowden leading the way for SAU with 13 points each.
 
Checking the Standings
Southern Arkansas enters this tonight's action with a 3-5 record in the GAC and is currently in ninth-place, but stands to be the No. 7 seed in the tournament should the season end today.
 
Henderson State enters play tonight with a 4-4 mark in the GAC and is sixth in the conference standings. If the season were to end today, Henderson would be the No. 5 seed in the tournament.
 
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 seven home games. Evidence of the players buying in is in the fact that 11 players average 10.0 or more minutes of playing time a game. Additionally, the Lady Muleriders have won more games (7) than the previous three 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 311 turnovers. 172 (55%) of those forced turnovers have been a result of a steal by the Lady Muleriders. Those 172 steals are tops in the GAC.
 
Give Me A Break
Five times this season, the Lady Muleriders have held a lead heading into halftime. In those games, the
Lady Muleriders are 4-1. In games in which they either trail or are tied at the half, the Lady Muleriders are 3-6.
 
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 67.8 points per game, and those points are coming from a variety of sources as seven players are averaging 5.5 or more points a game.
 
Wade Makes School History
On December 23, 2013, junior guard Allie Wade made school history as she became the first Lady Mulerider basketball player to be named Player of the Week in the Great American Conference.
SAU has been a member of the GAC since the 2011-12 season.
 
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 11 players average over 10.0 minutes a game and six average over 20 minutes per game.
 
Chanel No. 3
Despite only starting six games, junior forward Chanel Miller has been the Lady Muleriders' top scorer over the first 14 games this season as she averages 15.2 ppg. In all but two games, Miller has scored in double-figures and has scored 18 or more points seven 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 freshmen or sophomores.
 
Crashing the Boards
Through 14 games, the Lady Muleriders are showing the ability to pull down rebounds at a high clip. On the year, SAU is 4th in the GAC in total rebounds per game (43.9) and rank first in offensive rebounds per game (17.8). Helping lead the charge in rebounding is Miranda Grier, Chanel Miller, Mariam Ridgwell, and Barvion Wyatt. Those four average 4.4 or more rebounds per game and collectively, they are responsible for 20.7 (47%) of the team's 43.9 rebounds per game.
 
Quick Hands
With a GAC-leading 12.2 steals per game 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 eight players have at least 11 steals on the year. Leading the way individually is Allie Wade with 32 steals.
 
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 freshmen or sophomores.
 
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 24% 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 22% of their field goal attempts come from beyond the arc.