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GAME NOTES | SAU | MINOT STATE | UMARY

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Tipping Off
The Southern Arkansas men's basketball team kicks off its 2015-16 season this weekend as they will take part in a Great American Conference (GAC)/Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Classic against Minot State and the University of Mary. Both games are being played at a neutral site as the classic is taking place at Cedar Valley Community College in Lancaster, Texas.

The Muleriders will take on Minot State for their first game of the year as they will tip-off against the Beavers at 5 p.m. on Friday. SAU will then turn their attention towards the University of Mary on Saturday evening as they will tip with the Maurauders at 5 p.m. The Minot State Beavers enter the 2015-16 season coming off the heels of a year in which they finished 14-15 overall and were 9-13 in the NSIC. Meanwhile, the University of Mary Maurauders finished the 2014-15 season with a 9-18 overall record and a 7-15 mark in the NSIC.

For the Muleriders, they are looking to build upon a successful 2014-15 season a year ago as they went 15-12 overall and 11-9 in the GAC. The above .500 season for SAU was the first winning season since the 2001-02 season. Additionally, the Muleriders' 15 wins were the second-most in a season since SAU joined the NCAA Division II prior to the 1995-96 season and their 11 conference wins were the most in the DII era. This season, the Muleriders return five players and three starters from a year ago including All-GAC Second-Team selection Jaron Davis. Last year, Davis led the team and ranked 5th in the GAC in scoring at 16.4 points per game.