MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Behind ten second-half three-pointers and 16 total makes from long range, Southern Arkansas orchestrated a three-point barrage (16-of-32 | 50%) on Thursday evening inside the W.T. Watson Center as they never trailed in the contest and moved past Southwestern Oklahoma, 76-65, in a Great American Conference clash.
RECORDS
Southwestern Oklahoma (5-14, 2-11 GAC)
Southern Arkansas (9-11, 7-7 GAC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- It was a slow developing first half for both benches in Thursday's meeting as Southern Arkansas led by double digits for the first time in the contest with a 25-15 lead at the 6:50 mark of the first half.
- The Mulerider lead would stand at 18 at the intermission (40-22) as SAU used a stout defense in the first twenty minutes of play as they held the Bulldog shooters to a clip of just 22.6% (7-of-31).
- That defensive effort by Southern Arkansas resulted in SWOSU connecting on just three of their 18 first-half three-point attempts.
- Each team was tabbed with ten fouls in the first twenty minutes and it was SAU that shot 10-of-14 from the line (71.4%) compared to Southwestern Oklahoma's mark of 41.7% (5-of-12).
- In the first minute of the second half, Southern Arkansas received three-pointers from Snyder Cenecharles and Darnell Jones-Bowie as the Mulerider lead went to 22 at 46-24 fifty-six seconds into the final twenty minutes.
- Southwestern Oklahoma would not go quietly into the night as the Bulldogs engineered a 13-0 run over the next three and a half minutes to cut their deficit to nine at 46-37 with 14:53 remaining in the game.
- Cenecharles would break the scoring drought on a quick move inside to put SAU up 11 and the game's next nine points would come from the Muleriders and all from long range as Cenecharles bookended a Keeton Tennison three-pointer with a pair of trifectas to put Southern Arkansas up 57-37 with 11:35 to play.
- Consecutive buckets by SWOSU's Rashardd Harris allowed SWOSU to pull back to within a 16-point deficit, before CJ Elkins used a trio of three-pointers in back-to-back-to-back Mulerider possessions that eventually led to SAU leading 66-45 at the 7:26 mark.
- A top-of-the-key three-pointer by Tony Aska with under six minutes to play and another beyond-the-arc make from Tennison at the 3:47 mark ended Southern Arkansas' long range show as the Mulerider lead stood at 20, before a couple of late baskets brought the Bulldogs to under a deficit of a dozen.
FOR SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
- Cenecharles led Southern Arkansas with a career-high 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting including 4-of-7 from three-point range. Elkins followed with 19 points as he made four threes and went 5-of-6 from the free throw line.
- Tennison added 13 points including three trifectas on a 5-of-10 shooting night. Jones-Bowie collected a dozen points including a trio of three-pointers.
- Six Muleriders made a three-point field goal as Southern Arkansas nailed a season-high 16 shots in a season-high 32 attempts from beyond-the-arc.
- De'Sean Dockery led SAU with for assists, while Elkins, Aska and Jones-Bowie collected three assists each.
- Denarious Lockhart grabbed a game-high ten rebounds and Aska followed with eight, while Elkins added six boards.
- Four Muleriders recorded a block and two garnered steals.
FOR THE OPPOSITION
- Markeise Champion led the Bulldog offense with 21 points, including 5-of-12 shooting from three-point range and Harris followed with 11 points off of the bench.
- Collin Jennings grabbed nine rebounds and joined Champion and Luke Lewallen with two assists each as seven Bulldogs scored five or more points.
- Lewallen followed Jennings with seven rebounds and five Southwestern Oklahoma players collected a steal.
OF NOTE
- Southern Arkansas' previous season-high in three-pointers made was 11 which came on November 12 in an 82-74 win against Minot State in the GAC/MIAA/NSIC Crossover.
- The Muleriders committed a season-low eight turnovers which Southwestern Oklahoma turned into 15 points with 13 coming in the second half.
- SWOSU outscored SAU in the paint (22-14), and from the bench (31-19), while the Muleriders scored 13 of their 16 points off of turnovers in the first half and 11 of their 14 second-chance points in the opening twenty minutes.
- The Bulldogs outrebounded SAU 46-41, including 15-9 on the offensive glass.
UP NEXT
- Southern Arkansas returns to the floor again on Saturday, February 4, for a Great American Conference affair with Northwestern Oklahoma at 3 p.m. The Muleriders will look for the season sweep as they defeated NWOSU 77-69 in Alva on December 1.
- Live stats for Saturday's contest can be found here: http://www.sidearmstats.com/saumag/mbball/.
- Live video will also be provided: https://livestream.com/accounts/10140781.
- Dan Gregory will have the call of all the action in Magnolia: http://bit.ly/1Tsc86R.
- Be sure to visit muleriderathletics.com for continuing coverage of Mulerider Basketball including pre- and post-game updates, weekly notes, and the coach's show with Head Coach Andy Sharpe.