BETHANY, Okla. – Five Lady Muleriders tallied double-figures in scoring led by senior forward Rosa Bryant's game-high 25 points as Southern Arkansas picked up their eighth win of the season with a 90-78 road victory over Southern Nazarene on Saturday afternoon inside the Sawyer Center.
 
The Lady Muleriders (8-2, 4-2 GAC) picked up their first win ever in Bethany, Oklahoma, and second against the Crimson Storm since the school joined the Great American Conference in 2012.
 
Bryant finished a rebound shy of her ninth double-double of the season, but recorded her eighth game of twenty or more points on 11-of-19 shooting. Senior guard Shana Holmes followed Bryant with 17 points, including three-of-four shooting from three-point range. Junior guard Caroline Ficher sank three trifectas to finish with 13 points, while senior guard Tierra Tucker and freshman Jaida Harden rounded out double-figure scoring with eleven and ten respectively.
 
Tied at 16 after the first quarter of play, Southern Arkansas began the second quarter on a 12-0 run on their way to a 32 point quarter to take a 48-27 lead into the break. The Lady Muleriders outscored SNU 23-14 in points off turnovers, including an 11-0 advantage in the second quarter that distanced them from the Crimson Storm.  SAU also outplayed SNU in the paint in the second quarter, outscoring the Crimson Storm 12-4 in route to finishing with a 44-30 advantage.
 
The Lady Muleriders eight three-pointers tied a season-high as a team, having previously knocked down eight triple-tries in wins over Texas A&M-Commerce and LeMoyne-Owen.
 
Southern Nazarene would cut into their deficit in the third quarter as they trailed by 16 heading into the final frame. Bryant dropped nine of her 25 in the final quarter, while Tucker added five and Ficher four to hold back Southern Nazarene's 29-point quarter.
 
The Lady Muleriders will hit the court again as they return to the W.T. Watson Center for the first time in 2016 with a 5:30 p.m. GAC tip-off against Henderson State on Thursday, January 14, before hitting the road for a pair of league games at Arkansas Tech (1/16) and Arkansas-Monticello (1/18).
 
Be sure to visit muleriderathletics.com for continuing coverage of Lady Mulerider basketball.