MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Redshirt freshman forward Charlie Thomas notched a career-high 22 points and senior guard Keeton Tennison sank five key three-pointers as the Muleriders won their seventh-straight game with an 84-64 dispatching of Oklahoma Baptist in a Great American Conference affair inside the W.T. Watson Center on Thursday night.
 
Thomas' big night largely developed in the second half as 19 of his 22 points came on 7-of-8 shooting with five free throws, while adding three offensive rebounds to help the Muleriders distance themselves from the Bison in the final twenty minutes of play. Thomas scored Southern Arkansas' first four points after the intermission, including a pair of free throws and a rim-rattling dunk as the Mulerider lead grew to a dozen at 43-31 with 16:56 to play.
 
Oklahoma Baptist would be unable to cut their deficit to under ten points in the final fifteen minutes as the Muleriders scored 50 points in the half; the most in any half for SAU against a Division II opponent this season.
 
For the second-consecutive game, the Muleriders overcame a slow start and early foul trouble as the home team trailed 14-5 through the game's first five minutes of play. But the turnaround began for Southern Arkansas just under the 15 minute mark as Tennison hit the first of his aforementioned five three-pointers to cut the deficit to six points, before knocking down his second triple try on SAU's next trip down the court to bring the deficit to one possession.
 
The senior trigger man was not through as he capped a personal 8-0 run with a jumper just inside the top of the key to cut the Bison lead to just a point at 14-13 with 13:22 remaining in the first half. Action resumed back-and-forth following Tennison's effort and with 4:49 to play in the opening half, senior guard/forward KJ Collins hit a pair of free throws to give the Muleriders a 25-24 lead that they would not relinquish for the remainder of the contest.
 
The free throws from Collins came right after freshman guard Aaron Lucas sank a pair of attempts from the free throw line on SAU's previous possession and right before Thomas scored his first bucket of the night on soft lay in, while converting the and-1 free throw to cap a sequence that ignited the "Watson" faithful.
 
Tennison netted five three-pointers in a game for the third time this season, with three of those coming in the second half. Redshirt junior guard CJ Elkins added eight points in the final twenty minutes and Lucas commanded the offensive effort in the second half by dishing out six of his career-high eight assists in the frame, while classmate forward DeVante Brooks picked up seven of his nine rebounds in the second half.
 
Collins grabbed a team-high ten rebounds and added six points, three assists and a block in twenty minutes off of the bench.
 
SAU committed a season-low 11 turnovers, including just two in the second half of play and managed to turn 16 Bison turnovers into 19 points. The Muleriders outmanned and outscored OKB inside winning the battle in the paint, 38-25. Additionally, in the second half, SAU outscored OKB in second chance points 12-3 and finished the game with a +9 margin (16-7) in the category.
 
For the game, Southern Arkansas shot 39.4% (28-of-71) from the field, while sinking eight of their 26 three-point shots (30.8%) and converting 80% of their attempts from the charity stripe (20-of-25).
 
Southern Arkansas avenges a 77-74 loss to Oklahoma Baptist earlier in the season on the road in Shawnee. The win pushes the Muleriders into fifth-place outright in the Great American Conference with ten league contests remaining before the conference tournament in early March.
 
Southern Arkansas returns to action on Saturday, January 27, for a colossal matchup with #15 Southern Nazarene, who will enter the W.T. Watson Center unbeaten in league play and atop the GAC standings having won in their last 11 trips to the court. Tip-off from Magnolia is scheduled for 3 p.m. Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.