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Southern Arkansas University Athletics

Official Athletics Site of the Southern Arkansas University Muleriders
MBB | Harding (2-18-17)
Brenna Johnson
58
Harding HU 14-10, 11-9 GAC
88
Winner Southern Arkansas SAUM 12-14, 10-10 GAC
Harding HU
14-10, 11-9 GAC
58
Final
88
Southern Arkansas SAUM
12-14, 10-10 GAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Harding HU 28 30 58
Southern Arkansas SAUM 33 55 88

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

Offense erupts in second half as Muleriders rout Harding 88-58 on Senior Day

MAGNOLIA, Ark. – A modest five-point lead at halftime for the Southern Arkansas men's basketball team quickly turned into 24-point lead as the Muleriders ripped off a 21-2 run over the first five minutes of the second half. From there, the Muleriders were in complete control and cruised to an 88-58 blowout victory over Harding on Senior Day at the W.T. Watson Center.
 
With the win, and a loss by Northwestern Oklahoma earlier in the day, the Muleriders have clinched a spot in the upcoming Great American Conference Tournament in Bartlesville, Okla. It will be the Muleriders' sixth-consecutive post-season appearance and fifth-straight under head coach Andy Sharpe.
 
RECORDS
Harding Bisons (14-10, 11-9 GAC)
Southern Arkansas Muleriders (12-14, 10-10 GAC)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Back-and-forth scoring dictated the early going of the game with the score being tied three times and the lead changing hands eight times over the first nine or so minutes of action. A methodical 6-0 run by the Muleriders over a four-minute span, however, gave SAU a seven-point lead, 21-14, with 6:57 left in the opening half
  • Harding responded back with a 5-0 run to pull to within a couple of points, 21-19, with 4:40 to go.
  • The Bisons pulled back to within two-points with just over 30 seconds left, but CJ Elkins knocked down a three-pointer in the waning seconds of the half to send the Muleriders into the locker room with a five-point lead, 33-28.
  • Coming out of the break, the Muleriders seemingly couldn't miss as they made four of their first five shots of the half to surge ahead by 14 points, 42-28, and prompting a timeout by Harding with 18:17 left on the clock.
  • After that timeout, the Bisons scored their first points of the half on a layup by Gojko Djokovic, but it did little to stop the Muleriders as they went on to score the next 10 points of the game to make it a 24-point advantage, 54-30, with just under 15 minutes left in regulation.
  • The lead for the Muleriders continued to grow from there, reaching an apex of 34 points with 1:09 to play. SAU eventually ended the game with a 30-point victory
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • The 30-point margin of victory against Harding is the largest for the Muleriders this season and was the largest since a 39-point win over Champion Baptist back in January 2015.
  • For the game, the Muleriders shot 52% overall from the floor, going 34-of-66. The 34 made field goals were a season-best for SAU and the most since they made 39 at home against Oklahoma Baptist last February.
  • From beyond the arc, the Muleriders were 10-of-22 for 46%. Eight of those 10 triples came in the second half and six of those came from Keeton Tennison as he scored a career-high 25 points
  • Tennison's six 3-pointers were a single-game best for him and continued a hot streak from long range. Over his last nine games, Tennison has gone 35-for-68 from 3-point range for a percentage of 51%.
 
UP NEXT
The Muleriders will now take the road for the remainder of the regular season with a Thursday night game at Southern Nazarene and a Saturday afternoon affair with Oklahoma Baptist. Tip-off on Thursday night is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and Saturday is on the books for a 3 p.m. tip.
 
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