MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The Southern Arkansas Women's Basketball team finished the first half of their 2015-16 season on a high note Wednesday evening as they defeated Philander Smith College, 87-59, inside the W.T. Watson Center behind senior forward Rosa Bryant's seventh double-double of the season and classmate guard Shana Holmes' 22 points and seven assists.
 
The Lady Muleriders (7-1) close out the 2015 portion of their schedule with seven total wins; the most of any Great American Conference school so far this season and rest in a tie for fourth in the GAC standings as a pivotal January conference slate awaits.
 
Holmes' 22 points came on 9-of-15 shooting and her seven assists led all players Wednesday night. She added a pair of steals as did Bryant whose double-double came with 18 points and 12 rebounds and both players logged 30-plus minutes led by Holmes' team-high 33.
 
Southern Arkansas outscored the Lady Panthers, 50-22 inside and kept their foot on the pedal throughout the contest as they delivered 18 points in transition and turned 19 PSC turnovers into 22 points.  
 
Junior guard Caroline Ficher opened scoring with a three pointer at the 9:12 mark of the first quarter and Philander Smith's Juqecia Chaney answered with a pair of free throws before knocking down a three-pointer as the Lady Panthers took their only lead of the game, 5-2, a little over a minute and a half into the first frame.
 
A pair of buckets from Bryant tied the game at nine early and moments later a layup from senior forward Shunta Nevitt gave SAU an 11-10 lead that they would not surrender. The lead was four after one quarter of play and it grew to nine at the break as SAU took a 46-33 advantage into the intermission.
 
The Lady Mulerider lead blossomed to 19 late in the third quarter as Holmes' knocked down a jumper in the paint to push SAU out front 60-41 with 1:23 left in the quarter. Holmes erupted for a dozen of Southern Arkansas' 14 points in the third quarter, before nine Lady Muleriders registered in the scoring column in the final quarter of action.
 
Southern Arkansas shot just under 50% (35-of-71) from the field as a team and connected on 13-of-17 chances from the free throw line. Nevitt finished with a dozen boards and three blocks and junior guard Makaila Jordan finished with 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting. Ficher connected on a trio of three-pointers and added 11 points, rounding out double-figure scoring for the Lady Muleriders.
 
SAU returns to the floor on January 7 in Shawnee, Oklahoma, for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off with GAC-newcomer Oklahoma Baptist and in the process begins a critical road stretch as five of their first seven contests in 2016 are away from the W.T. Watson Center.
 
Be sure to visit muleriderathletics.com for continuing coverage of Lady Mulerider Basketball.