WEATHERFORD, Okla. – The Southern Arkansas University Lady Mulerider basketball team benefitted from 23 points apiece from Rosa Bryant and Tierra Tucker, but Southwestern Oklahoma's Jessica Penner dropped 39 points on 18-of-22 shooting to lead the Lady Bulldogs past SAU by a score of 73-70 on Saturday afternoon inside the Pioneer Cellular Event Center.
 
The Lady Muleriders (4-10, 2-6 GAC) led by three at the intermission, 35-32. But with less than two minutes remaining in the game, Penner scored inside to tie the contest at 66-all and the Lady Bulldogs (4-9, 2-5 GAC) proceeded to go on a 7-4 run to close out the game late.
 
This matchup proved to be entertaining from the opening tip as both teams answered each other throughout the first three and a half minutes of action that saw three tied scores. The Lady Bulldogs used a 6-2 run to pull ahead but Tucker converted on a contested jumper and proceeded to finish off the three point play with a successful free throw to bring SAU within one, 12-11, at the 12:00 minute mark of the first half.
 
Penner was successful on back-to-back jumpers, but Tucker hit one of her two threes on the afternoon with 9:18 to play in the opening half to pull the Lady Muleriders within two, 16-14. Bryant would answer a Penner layup with a paint bucket of her own and then score twice more inside to give SAU a 20-18 lead with 7:13 remaining in the first half.
 
Southern Arkansas' largest lead of the first half was eight, twice, with the latest coming at the 4:42 mark. To the Lady Bulldogs' credit, Southwestern continued to battle and an Aarika Reyna three-pointer with 17 seconds left with a free throw to cut SAU's halftime lead to 3, 35-32.
 
The second half proved just as entertaining as Southwestern Oklahoma combated the Bryant/Tucker combo by getting several players involved and eventually tied the game at 47 with 14:17 to play. Several minutes later Tucker again connected on a successful hoop-and-harm play to give SAU a six-point lead during a 9-3 run at the 8:42 mark.
 
Reyna hit her second three with 7:45 to play in the game to give SAU a 59-53 lead, but SWOSU would slowly begin to chip away at the Lady Muleriders momentum. SWOSU cut their deficit to one, twice, before Penner was fouled and used a layup and the ensuing free throw to give the Lady Bulldogs at 67-66 lead with 1:52 remaining.
 
A 4-1 Southwestern run put the contest out of reach for SAU as the Lady Bulldogs used to late free throws to make it a two possession game with less than ten seconds to play.
 
Southern Arkansas shot 88.9% form the free throw line on only nine attempts and outscored the SWOSU bench 27-7. Bryant's busy day came in 32 minutes of action as the junior forward registered nine rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals to go along with her 23 points. Tucker's 23 came in 4 less minutes of work as she added two assists to go along with a block and a steal.
 
Just two days after logging her first double-double of the season in a season high 38 minutes, Chanel Miller clocked in 32 minutes of work for her second consecutive double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Reyna led SAU with 35 minutes of action and she added 10 points.
 
Southern Arkansas returns to the court next Saturday, January 17^th, as they welcome Northwestern Oklahoma State into the W.T. Watson Athletic Center. Tip-off for the Great American Conference matchup is slated for 2 p.m.