MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The Southern Arkansas men's basketball team took to the court for their first regular season game on Thursday night in front of a home crowd of 547 inside the W.T. Watson Center. Despite SAU holding a lead for much of the second half, the game would eventually go to overtime. In that extra period, Southern Nazarene would out-last SAU, handing the Muleriders a 70-67 loss.
 
Early on in the game, both teams struggled some shooting the ball, but a late 10-0 run by the Muleriders (0-1, 0-1 GAC), in which they were 4-of-7 from the floor, turned a two-point deficit into an eight-point lead, 28-20, with 1:57 left in the first half. Southern Nazarene would answer the Muleriders' run with a mini four-point run of their own over the next 48 second to cut their deficit in half. Despite the push by SNU, the Muleriders would head into the locker room with a six-point lead, 32-26.
 
In the second half both teams would improve upon their shooting as the scoring picked up from the first half. The Crimson Storm (2-0, 1-0 GAC) would be the first ones to catch fire in the half as they out-scored the Muleriders 9-4 over the first 3:19 of the second half, pulling themselves all the way to within a point, 36-35. SAU would weather that push however and even swelled their lead out to double-digits, 47-37, after a made three-pointer by Jaron Davis with 14:22 left in the second half capped an 11-2 run by SAU.
 
Over the next 2:30 of the game, both teams would go cold offensively as the only point scored during that stretch was a made free throw by SNU's CJ Rodriguez. A jumper by Davis with 11:53 left, however, ended the cold spell for the Muleriders and Derek Roscoe's layup on the next offensive possession gave the Muleriders their largest lead of the game, 13 points, 51-38.
 
The Muleriders would continue to hold a double-digit lead until the 8:56 mark of the second half as SNU's Corey McCrary canned a three-pointer to make it a seven-point game, 51-44. From there, the Crimson Storm would continue to hang around in the game, getting to within two points, 58-56, with 2:47 left in the second half.
 
Just 30 seconds after SNU got to within two points, SAU's Tyrell Taylor would drain a pair of free throws to make it a four-point game, 60-56, with 2:17 left in regulation.
 
The next 1:40 of game time would remain scoreless as each team would miss a shot and turn the ball over once during that stretch. The SAU turnover was a costly one as, with 41 seconds to go, the Crimson Storm were able to pull back to within two-points on a transition dunk. Following a missed shot on SAU's ensuing possession, the Crimson Storm would complete their second-half comeback effort as LB Willis tied the game up at 60-all with just two seconds to go in regulation.
 
The Muleriders would turn the ball on the ensuing in-bounds play, but the game clock expired before SNU could get off a potential game-winning shot, forcing the game into overtime.
 
In the extra period, SNU would jump out to a quick three-point lead on a made free throw and jump shot by Willis. With 3:36 left in overtime, the Muleriders' Reece Dunlap would knot the game at 63-all as he buried a three-pointer off of an assist by Alre'k Brown. About a minute and a half later, the Muleriders took the lead once more, 65-63, on a slicing layup by Davis.
 
After cutting the Mulerider lead to a single point with 1:44 left, Southern Nazarene took a two-point lead with 40 seconds remaining on a three-pointer by  Francisco Hukill. In the final 40 seconds of overtime, SAU would go to the free throw line six times, but would make only two of those tries as the Crimson Storm would hold off the Muleriders for the three-point win, 70-67.
 
The Muleriders will now prepare for another Great American Conference game as they will play host to Southeastern Oklahoma on Saturday, November 22. Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 4 p.m.