MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Five Muleriders scored in double-figures led by junior guard
Keeton Tennison's career-high 17 points, highlighted by a 4-for-4 night from beyond the arc as Southern Arkansas held off a second-half surge by Henderson State to beat the Reddies 79-71 in a Great American Conference affair on Thursday night inside the W.T. Watson Center.
Junior forward
Tony Aska and redshirt-freshman guard
CJ Elkins each added a dozen points and combined for 15 rebounds, while seniors
Jaron Davis and
Alvin Braddock chipped in with 11 points apiece.
The Muleriders (7-6, 4-3 GAC) move into a four-way tie for third place in a very tight Great American Conference standings with an upcoming trip to Russellville, Arkansas, on Saturday, January 16, for a 3 p.m. tip-off with the Wonder Boys; who also sit in a tie for third-place.
Southern Arkansas led by 16 at the break, 50-34, behind a trio of three-pointers from Tennison with less than three minutes to play in the first half. SAU shot 69% from the field in the opening half and outscored the Reddies 16-5 in points off of turnovers.
Henderson State (3-9, 2-5 GAC) rallied in the second half as they used the first five and a half minutes of the period to cut the 16-point halftime deficit to three at 50-47 courtesy of a 13-0 run highlighted by four inside baskets. Tennison ended the HSU run with a jumper at the 13:13 mark and Davis followed with a trifecta on the next possession that quickly put SAU back up eight, 55-47.
At the 8:29 mark of the second half, the Reddies cut their deficit to 58-57, before Davis engineered a 6-2 SAU run that put the Muleriders up five, 64-59 with 6:25 to play in the game. Junior forward
Denarious Lockhart energized the W.T. Watson Center after a powerful one-handed dunk put SAU up four, 70-66 at the 3:34 mark of the second half.
Lockhart scored again with under two minutes to play and Aska and Davis each connected on a pair of free-throws to put the game away as the Muleriders held off the second-half rally by the Reddies.
Southern Arkansas returns to action with the aforementioned matchup in Russellville against Arkansas Tech.
Be sure to visit muleriderathletics.com for continuing coverage and pregame and postgame updates of Mulerider Basketball.
