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Official Athletics Site of the Southern Arkansas University Muleriders
Elkins to the hole vs. SOSU
Brenna Johnson
84
Winner Southern Ark. SAUM 5-7, 1-5
73
Southwestern Okla. SWOSU 3-9, 1-5
Winner
Southern Ark. SAUM
5-7, 1-5
84
Final
73
Southwestern Okla. SWOSU
3-9, 1-5
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Southern Ark. SAUM 39 45 84
Southwestern Okla. SWOSU 37 36 73

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | By: Jacob Pumphrey

Elkins’ season-high 22 points leads five Muleriders in double-figure scoring; SAU downs Southwestern Oklahoma on the road, 84-73

WEATHERFORD, Okla. – Behind a season-high 22 points from junior guard CJ Elkins and combined with four other Muleriders scoring in double-figures, Southern Arkansas picked up its first Great American Conference win of the season as it downed a pesky Southwestern Oklahoma State squad 84-73 on the road inside the Pioneer Cellular Event Center on Saturday afternoon.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Southern Arkansas opened the game on a 12-4 run during the first five minutes of action and the Muleriders would see that advantage grow to 21-7 with 11:02 remaining in the first half.
  • Through the first ten minutes of play on Saturday afternoon, Southern Arkansas saw eight players score a point and after a midrange jumper from Gabe Gilliam with 9:52 to play in the first half, the Muleriders' held what would be their largest margin of the opening twenty minutes at 15 points, 25-10.
  • Over the next five minutes, SOWSU's Devin Pugh would help rally the Bulldogs with eight points as part of a 18-8 run as the Southern Arkansas lead was cut down to five points with 4:13 to play in the first half.
  • SAU would answer with a 6-0 run to build the lead back to double digits as CJ Elkins and Charlie Thomas each converted a pair of free throws with the latter also scoring inside between the aforementioned trips to the charity stripe. At the 2:38 mark, the Southern Arkansas lead was 11 before nine-straight points by Southwestern Oklahoma staked a one-possession ballgame into the break with SAU up 39-37.
  • Five minutes into the second half, the Muleriders used two separate 5-0 runs to build their lead back to 11. The first came at the 17:35 mark as Elkins followed a three-point make from Draylan Perkins with a layup and then following two makes from the free line by Elkins, the junior assisted Keeton Tennison on a trifecta at the 15:01 mark to give SAU a 54-43 lead, while highlighting a 15-6 run out of the halftime intermission that began with a three-pointer from DeVante Brooks to open scoring in the second half.
  • Southwestern Oklahoma would manage to cut their deficit to just six points over the next four minutes, but the Mulerider offense began to surge down the stretch by growing its lead to as much as 16 with 4:06 to play.
  • The Bulldogs would not go away quietly as they fought to pull back within six points of the Mulerider lead with 53 seconds to play, but it was Elkins at the free throw line that proved to be the difference as he converted seven of his eight attempts in the final minute and a half of play to close out the game.
 
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • The Muleriders never trailed in Saturday's contest, while the game's only tie stood as the scoreless 32 seconds of play to being the game.
  • Southern Arkansas produced its second-best performance of the year from the free-throw stripe as they shot a collective 79.2% (19-of-24) including a perfect 10-of-10 from the line in the first half. Elkins led the way by going 12-of-13 from the stripe, while Thomas and Gilliam combined to go 7-of-7 with Thomas' five makes standing as a career-best.
  • It marked the fifth time this season that the Muleriders eclipsed the 80-point mark in scoring and did so behind 48.3% (28-of-58) shooting from the floor including a 39.1% mark from beyond-the-arc.
  • The Muleriders outrebounded SWOSU 40-35 as ten players grabbed at least one board led by Thomas' nine rebounds with Elkins following with six and Brooks and Gilliam adding five boards each.
  • Elkins' season-high 22 points, the most in a game for a Mulerider this season, came on five field goals and the dozen free throws and the Minden, Louisiana native added six rebounds, three assists, one block and a steal. Tennison finished with 13 points and career-highs in assists with seven and steals with four.
  • Perkins added a dozen points and Thomas chipped in with a career-high 11 points with Wesley Nosakhare rounding out double-figure scoring with 10 points.
 
UP NEXT
Southern Arkansas returns to action on Thursday, January 11, inside the W.T. Watson Center for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off with Harding. Live coverage links available at www.muleriderathletics.com.
 
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