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Southern Arkansas University Athletics

Official Athletics Site of the Southern Arkansas University Muleriders
MBB | Harding (1-19-17)
Brenna Johnson
61
Southern Ark. SAUM 6-10, 4-6 GAC
84
Winner Harding HU 9-5, 6-4 GAC
Southern Ark. SAUM
6-10, 4-6 GAC
61
Final
84
Harding HU
9-5, 6-4 GAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Southern Ark. SAUM 35 26 61
Harding HU 36 48 84

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | By: Daniel Gallegos

Second half surge lifts Harding past Muleriders, 84-61

SEARCY, Ark. – The Southern Arkansas men's basketball team trailed by one point at the break, 36-35, and held a three-point lead early in the second half, but the Harding offense caught fire the remainder of the game and pulled away from the Muleriders to hand SAU an 84-61 road defeat.
 
RECORDS
Southern Arkansas Muleriders (6-10, 4-6 GAC)
Harding Bisons (9-5, 6-4 GAC)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Scoring was tough to come by early in the game as SAU had a 4-0 advantage over Harding at the 18:37 mark of the first half thanks to a free throw and three-pointer by De'Sean Dockery. With 17:32 on the clock, the Bisons finally got on the board with a layup, but the Muleriders kept the Bisons to just those two points for about another two minutes of game play. During that initial scoring drought SAU added four points and led by six, 8-2.
  • A layup for Harding at the 15:33 mark sparked a 22-3 run by the Bisons giving them a 15-point lead, 26-11, going into the 8-minute media timeout.
  • Coming out of that media, SAU began to work their way back into the game starting first with a layup by Darnell Jones-Bowie. That make sparked what was a 17-4 run by the Muleriders over a four minute period to knot the game at 30-all with 2:39 remaining in the first half.
  • Trailing by two with 1:34 showing on the clock, the Muleriders grabbed their first lead since early in the game as KJ Collins completed an and-one opportunity.
  • The lead see-sawed over the final minute and a half, but it was Harding who scored the final basket to take the lead into the locker room.
  • As they did to begin the game, the Muleriders scored the first four points of the second half and held a three-point lead, 39-36 with 14:48 to go.
  • The first of seven second-half three-pointers for Harding was knocked down by Zac Ward at the 17:43 mark to give the Bisons a 41-39 lead. SAU answered with a quick transition score by Dockery knotting the game at 41-all.
  • With 15:56 remaining, SAU trailed by five, but three-straight layups vaulted the Muleriders on top by a point, 47-46, at the14:42 mark.
  • However, a 15-2 run by Harding followed over the next 4:13 as the Bisons seized control of the game from there, continuing to build upon their advantage until the final buzzer sounded.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • De'Sean Dockery led SAU in scoring with 20 points, tying his career-high which he set at Southwestern Oklahoma last February. Dockery got nearly half of his production from the charity stripe as he was 9-for-11. The nine made free throws ties a season-high as he knocked down nine earlier this year at Northwestern Oklahoma.
  • Dockery has also now scored in double figures in each of the last four games, raising his season scoring average from 6.8 points per game to 9.3
  • KJ Collins followed up a solid performance against UAM with another solid game at Harding as he again made four field goals and ended with a season-high 10 points.
 
UP NEXT
The Muleriders will now return home for a Saturday afternoon contest against Ouachita. Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 3 p.m. inside the W.T. Watson Center.
 
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