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Box Score | Play-By-Play

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JONESBORO, Ark. – Southern Arkansas senior guard Tyrell Taylor hit a game-winning floater with one second left in the game to give SAU a thrilling 69-67 win over Division I-affiliated Arkansas State in an exhibition game on Wednesday night at the Convocation Center on A-State's campus.
 
"I am very proud of our guys and the determination they showed tonight," raved head coach Andy Sharpe. "We have a real opportunity to use this win as a springboard to get us off on the right foot in conference play next week. We have a very well-coached Southern Nazarene team coming to town and we'll need a solid week of preparation and focus to get ready for two huge GAC games."
 
The game-winning shot for Taylor, who lead the team in scoring with 21 points, came just seconds after A-State's Sean Gardner nailed a game-tying three-pointer with eight seconds left in regulation. Prior to that game-tying three by Gardner, Taylor had given the Muleriders a three-point lead after he sunk a pair of clutch free throws with 21 seconds left.
 
"We fought hard all game," remarked Taylor. "Even when things didn't look like they were going our way. We never quit – we kept fighting and I knew if we had a chance to win the game, coach was going to put the ball in my hands because he trusts me and that gave me the confidence I needed."
 
The two-point win for SAU against Arkansas State on Wednesday represents the first win for the Muleriders over the Red Wolves since the 1956-57 season when the Muleriders swept the season-series against their then-AIC rivals. It is also the Muleriders first win in an exhibition game against the Red Wolves all-time. Additionally, the win for SAU gives A-State just their second exhibition loss in their last 22 tries dating back to the 2004-05 season.
 
"Even though this was a big win," added Taylor. "We are not satisfied and we will have a great practice tomorrow and prepare for our next game."
 
Playing in their first official live action of the year, the Muleriders would find themselves trailing by 10 points at the break, 40-30. In that opening half, the Muleriders would struggle some offensively as they shot 36% overall from the floor (12-of-33), 21% (3-of-14) from beyond the arc, and 33% from the free throw line (3-of-9).
 
In the second half, however, the Muleriders would improve drastically from all three areas as they shot 48% overall from the floor (14-of-29), 50% from the three-point line (4-of-8), and 70% from the charity stripe (7-of-10). Conversely, the Muleriders also ramped up the defense in the second half as they forced the Red Wolves to shoot a worse percentage in all three areas; 29% overall (11-of-38), 13% from three-point land (1-of-8), and 44% from the free throw line (4-of-9).
 
Leading the offensive charge for the Muleriders in that second half was Taylor as he scored 17 of his 21 points that half. Newcomer Jaron Davis also had a big offensive second half as he poured in 10 points to push his scoring total to 18 points for the game.
 
In terms of rebounding, the Muleriders were led by newcomer Alvin Braddock, who finished with 10 boards, nine of which came in the second half alone. Braddock would also have the only two blocks on either side in the game.
 
The Muleriders will now prepare for their first regular season game against Southern Nazarene on Thursday, November 20. The game will be the first Great American Conference game for both teams and is set to tip-off at 7:30 p.m. in the W.T. Watson Center.