GAME NOTES (PDF)
Setting the Stage (GAC Tournament Preview)
For the first time since the 2006-07 season, the Southern Arkansas women's basketball team will be playing in a conference tournament as they enter the 2014 GAC Women's Basketball Tournament as the No.7-seed and will take on the No.2-seed East Central Lady Tigers. This will also be the Lady Muleriders' first time to take part in the Great American Conference Tournament, now in its third-year.
The post-season appearance may come as a surprise to some outside of the program considering the fact that the Lady Muleriders entered the 2013-14 season mired in a 34-game losing streak dating back to January of 2012. But, to those in and around the program, there is absolutely no surprise that the Lady Muleriders are conference tournament bound. Just a year removed from a 0-25 season, the 2013-14 Lady Mulerider team has won more games (12) than the previous three seasons combined, and another two wins this year would give them more wins than the previous four seasons combined.
The significant turnaround for the Lady Mulerider basketball program has been crafted by first-year head coach Rusty Rainbolt. It was evident from the first day that Rainbolt stepped foot on campus, that the Southern Arkansas women's basketball program was about to go through a complete overhaul and begin to take steps in moving towards a positive and winning direction.
The first of those steps came back on November 13 when the Lady Muleriders picked up an impressive 86-72 win over Rogers State. In that game, the Lady Muleriders employed a suffocating full-court defense and forced an incredible 34 turnovers as they showed what kind of team they were going to be this season.
The constant full-court pressure would subside over the course of the season, but the defensive intensity did not as the Lady Muleriders continually lead the GAC in steals throughout the year. By the end of the regular season, the Lady Muleriders finished with 299 steals, one shy of No.2-ranked Harding, but the 299 steals in 26 games was good for an average of 11.5 steals per game, which ranked them first in the GAC.
The Lady Muleriders will enter with only one player averaging double-figures in scoring (Chanel Miller | 15.6 ppg), but seven players average 5.5 points or more per game. The team's leading rebounder is Miranda Grier at 5.7 rpg. In the steals department, Allie Wade leads the way with 47 while Barvion Wyatt is not far behind with 42.
The Season vs. East Central (January 1, 2014 | February 6, 2014)
This season, the Lady Muleriders and Lady Tigers played twice with each picking up a win on their home court. The first matchup came back on January 4 in Magnolia, and it was the Lady Muleriders who bested the Lady Tigers, 84-83, in overtime. In that game, the Lady Muleriders trailed by as much as 17 points in the first half, but a 21-8 run to close out the half pulled them back into the game and they eventually forced OT.
The second meeting came on February 6 in Ada, and it was the Lady Tigers who came away with a 74-59 win. In that game, the Lady Muleriders would fall behind on the game's first bucket, and from there, the Lady Tigers would hold a lead as they led wire-to-wire.
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 (12) than the previous three years combined.
East Central is under the direction of first-year interim head coach Emily Holombek. Holombek spent last season as an assistant coach at East Central and helped improve the Lady Tigers from 8-19 in 2011-12 to 19-9 in 2012-13.
Last Time Out
The Lady Muleriders ended their 2013-14 regular season with a 62-54 win over Henderson State on Saturday, March 1. The win snapped a four-game losing skid for the Lady Muleriders and it avenged an 87-98 loss to Henderson earlier this season.
Saturday's game was an absolute battle of wills as both teams fought valiantly back-and-forth to end their regular season with a win. Play was so close throughout the contest that there were 13 tie scores and 10 lead changes in total. Additionally, the largest lead for either team was eight points, and that was not attained until the waning seconds of the game.
The second half remained razor-thin close until 1:13 left in the game. It was there that the Lady Muleriders broke a 52-all tie and went on a quick 6-0 run to gain a six-point advantage, 58-52, with 19 seconds left. That game-changing run started on a jumper by Barvion Wyatt at the 1:13 mark. A turnover by HSU's Taylor Washington on the ensuing possession led to a layup by Aarika Reyna on the other end of the court with 28 seconds to go. Washington would turn the ball over again, this time with 19 seconds left, and it led to a pair of made free throws by Cooper, making it a 58-52 Lady Mulerider lead.
The Lady Reddies would answer back with a pair of free throws of their own to make it a four-point game with 14 seconds left, but the Lady Muleriders would ice the game as they made their final four free throws to secure the eight-point win.
