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SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
MULERIDERS
10-7 (6-5 GAC) |
OKLAHOMA BAPTIST
BISON
8-9 (5-6 GAC) |
SOUTHERN NAZARENE
CRIMSON STORM
14-1 (11-0 GAC) |
Thursday, January 25 | 7:30 p.m.
W.T. Watson Center - Magnolia, Ark.
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | SAU RADIO
Saturday, January 27 | 3 p.m.
W.T. Watson Center - Magnolia, Ark.
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | SAU RADIO
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GAME NOTES (PDF)
TIPPING OFF
After starting the year 0-5 in Great American Conference play, the Southern Arkansas men's basketball team has won their last six league games and have vaulted themselves into a tie for fifth place in the GAC standings heading into this weekend's slate of games.
After a thrilling "Rivalry Night" matchup with Arkansas-Monticello this past Tuesday in which SAU was victorious, 69-68, the Muleriders now shift their focus to host its next two opponents in Magnolia starting with Oklahoma Baptist on Thursday followed by Southern Nazarene on Saturday.
OBU comes into the week having won both of their most-recent games and SNU has won 10-straight and is undefeated in GAC play.
Saturday's opponent Southern Nazarene is currently slotted at the top of the league standings and for the past two weeks has been nationally ranked, with its highest rank yet being 15th in the D2SIDA Top-25 poll as of January 23rd.
To this point in the season, the Muleriders are 6-2 at home and under head coach
Andy Sharpe they are 54-28 over the past six seasons.
MULERIDER NEWS & NOTES
The Southern Arkansas men's basketball team enters play this weekend with a 10-7 overall record and a 6-5 record in GAC play. The Muleriders have won their last six games, all in conference play, and are averaging 80.0 points per game with a +11.3 scoring margin as well during this stretch.
On the season, the Muleriders are averaging 81.0 points per game, which ranks sixth in the GAC. Defensively, the Muleriders rank second in scoring defense in the GAC at 70.9 points per game, and their +10.1 scoring margin ranks third in the league.
As a team, the Muleriders are shooting .458 (453-of-989) overall from the floor which includes a shooting mark of .384 (148-of-385) from long range. From the free throw line, the Muleriders are shooting .678 (242-of-357). Their overall field goal percentage ranks sixth while their 3-point field goal percentage ranks fourth. Their free throw percentage ranks tenth in the GAC.
Individually, the Muleriders have three players who are averaging double figures in scoring with
CJ Elkins leading the team at 13.2 points per game and
Draylan Perkins following at 12.6 points per game each.
Keeton Tennison rounds out double figure scoring with an 12.1 ppg average. The leading rebounder on the team is
DeVante Brooks with 7.1 rpg, while the top assist man on the team is Elkins with an average of 3.0 assists per game.
COACH
The Muleriders are coached by
Andy Sharpe, who is in his sixth season at Southern Arkansas. In his five previous seasons at SAU, Sharpe is 67-74.
Since the 2014-15 season, Sharpe has turned the Muleriders into serious contenders in the Great American Conference as SAU has won 35 conference games and have finished in the top half of the standings each year as well. The first two seasons in this recent stretch saw the Muleriders post consecutive winning seasons for the first time since the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons.
As far as post-season play is concerned, Sharpe has led the Muleriders to the GAC Tournament all five years at the helm and has advanced the team to the semi-finals twice with opening round wins in 2014 and 2016. Under Sharpe, SAU is one of only three schools that have made the GAC Tournament in five-consecutive seasons; joining Arkansas Tech and Harding.
SCOUTING OKLAHOMA BAPTIST
The Oklahoma Baptist men's basketball team enters play this weekend with a 8-9 overall record and are 5-6 in the Great American Conference. The Bison have won their last two games at home and, before that, dropped both of their most-recent league matchups on the road at NWOSU on January 13 and at SNU on January 15. The Bison have posted a 3-4 record in the last seven GAC games they've played with all three of those wins coming in eight points or less and only one of those four losses resulting in a scoring margin more than -6.0.
As a team, the Bison are shooting .455 (457-of-1005) overall from the floor which includes a shooting mark of .357 (172-of-482) from long range. From the free throw line, the Bison are shooting .746 (261-of-350). Their overall field goal percentage ranks eigth in the GAC while their 3-point field goal percentage ranks seventh. At the charity stripe the Bison's percentage ranks third.
So far this season, the Bison are averaging 79.2 points per game offensively, and are allowing 81.6 points per game defensively. Their points per game scoring ranks seventh in the GAC while their scoring defense per game ranks tenth in the league and their -2.4 scoring margin ranks ninth.
Currently two Bison are averaging double-figures in scoring with Chandler Rickey leading the team with 18.9 points per game and Travon Moore rounds out double figure scoring with 11.8 ppg. Rickey is also the team's leading rebounder at 7.2 rebounds per game. Vladimir Nemcok is the team's top assist man at 6.3 assists per game.
COACH
The Bison are coached by Quinn Wooldridge, who is in his third year at Oklahoma Baptist. In his previous two seasons, Wooldridge has compiled a 14-38 overall record. Prior to his time at OBU, Wooldridge was the head coach at Southwestern Christian University for three years.
LAST YEAR/LAST TIME OUT
Last time out, the Muleriders turned a 15 point deficit into a 2-point lead late in the second half, but the Bison used five free throw makes to take the ultimate victory in a 77-74 final decision.
THE SERIES
This is the fifth meeting since 1999-2000 between SAU and OBU and the Bisons hold a 3-1 advantage.
SCOUTING SOUTHERN NAZARENE
The Southern Nazarene men's basketball team enters play this weekend with a 14-1 overall record and an 11-0 mark in the Great American Conference. The Crimson Storm's only loss of the season was on the road to non-conference opponent Oklahoma Christian on November 25 in a seven-point deficit, 69-76.
On the season, the Crimson Storm are averaging 81.1 points per game, which ranks fifth in the GAC. Defensively, the Crimson Storm are allowing 65.9 points per game, ranking their scoring defense first in the GAC along with a league-best +15.1 scoring margin.
As a team, the Crimson Storm are shooting .513 (439-of-855) overall from the floor which includes a shooting mark of .409 (105-of-257) from long range. From the free throw line, the Crimson Storm are shooting .735 (233-of-317). Their overall field goal percentage ranks first in the GAC while their 3-point field goal percentage ranks second. At the charity stripe the Crimson Storm percentage ranks fifth.
Individually, three SNU players are averaging double figures and all three rank in the leagues top-15 scorers. Micah Speight leads the team at 17.3 points per game. Jhonathan Dunn is next in scoring at 16.7 ppg, and Noah Starkey round out double figure scoring at 14.9 ppg. Starkey is also the team's leading rebounder at 6.7 boards per game. Speight is the top assist man on the team at 5.1 assists per game.
COACH
The Crimson Storm are coached by Adam Bohac, who is in his tenth season at Southern Nazarene. In his ten seasons at SNU, Bohac is 173-105 with four post-season appearances.
LAST YEAR/LAST TIME OUT
Last time out, SAU lost to SNU, 81-90, in a conference opener on the road in Bethany, Oklahoma on November 16. SAU is one of four GAC opponents that has lost to SNU in single-digits this season.
THE SERIES
This is the 12th meeting since 1997-98 between SAU and Southern Nazarene with the two teams meeting at least twice a year in that time as conference opponents. This portion of the all-time series is controlled by the Crimson Storm, 2-9.
