MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The Southern Arkansas women's basketball team was triumphed by 20^th-ranked Harding Thursday evening by a score of 74-53 in a contest in which the Lady Bisons shot 58 percent from the floor and got a double-double from the GAC's leading scorer, Arielle Saunders.
 
SAU (3-4, 1-2 GAC) led 4-3 with 15:08 left to play in the opening half after a Rosa Bryant jumper, but Harding (5-2, 2-0 GAC) responded with a 7-0 run to take an early 10-4 lead. The Lady Bisons never looked back from there, shooting 48 percent (15-31) from the field, including 5-for-10 from beyond the three-point line in the first half.
 
Harding held a 35-20 lead before freshman Carlee Earls knocked down a three-pointer with 48 seconds left in the opening stanza. Lundon Williams responded with a buzzer-beating trifecta to give Harding a 38-23 advantage at the break.
 
Bryant led SAU at the break with five points while junior Cemetra Jenkins and senior Brianna Sifford chipped in four points apiece. The Lady Muleriders knocked down just 1-of-7 attempts from behind the three-point line and lost the rebounding battle 24-14 in the first half.  
 
Junior Tierra Tucker sparked a 9-3 Lady Mulerider run with back-to-back layups to bring the game within striking distance at 59-47 with 5:18 to play. The Lady Bisons, however, countered with a 15-0 run in the next 3:52 to put the game away.
 
Tucker led the Lady Muleriders in scoring with 14 points while senior Barvion Wyatt also finished in double digits with 10. Wyatt also grabbed a team-high give boards, and Jenkins swiped a game-high four steals.
 
The Lady Muleriders return to action on their home court Saturday versus another conference opponent in Ouachita Baptist with tip-off set for 2 p.m.