SEARCY, Ark. – Despite scoring the game's first points on their initial possession, the Southern Arkansas women's basketball team fell behind early and were unable to overcome the deficit ultimately suffering a 63-54 loss to the Lady Bisons on Saturday evening at the Rhodes-Reeves Fieldhouse in Searcy.
 
RECORDS
Southern Arkansas Lady Muleriders (8-17, 7-12 GAC)
Harding Lady Bisons (14-13, 10-9 GAC)
 
FIRST QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS & HAPPENINGS

• After securing the opening tip, SAU's Olivia McWilliams knocked down a jumper to give the Lady Muleriders an early 2-0 lead.
• The Lady Bison then went on a 10-0 run over the next three minutes of the game to take a 10-2 lead
• A good jumper by Kimberly Crown at the 5:31 mark of the quarter broke the run and a three-pointer by Anna Djedjemel a minute later brought SAU to within five points, 12-7 with 4:29 remaining in the quarter.
• Harding then pushed their lead out to as much as nine with 2:25 in the first period, but another Djedjemel three closed the gap to five once more. The Lady Bisons would get a basket from Sydney Layrock right at the buzzer to take a seven-point lead through the first 10 minutes, 19-12.

 
SECOND QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS & HAPPENINGS

• The second quarter was where Harding started to separate themselves, racing out to a 14-point lead at the 6:53 mark.
• Yet another three-pointer from Djedjemel followed and a jumper by Olivia McWilliams brought the Lady Muleriders back to within single digits with just over half of the second quarter to play.
• The Lady Bisons twice more took double-digit leads, but three-pointers from Ramiah Henry at the 2:57 mark and Sue Key at the 39-second mark kept the game within reach at the break.
   

THIRD QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS & HAPPENINGS

• The Lady Muleriders opened the third quarter on a 7-2 run as they trimmed the deficit down to four points, 40-36 with 6 minutes even left in the period.
• McWilliams was responsible for five of those points as she nailed a jumper and a three-pointer following Erin Brinkley's basket to spark the run.
• The Lady Bisons quelled the surge from there and maintained a marginal single-digit lead the remainder of the quarter.

 
FOURTH QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS & HAPPENINGS

• Harding methodically re-built a 14-point lead over the first six and a half minutes of the quarter and was able to do so in part to four offensive rebounds during that stretch.
• After that lead was gained once more by the Lady Bisons, SAU scored the final five points of the game, all by Henry, to bring the final margin to nine, 63-54.

 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Two Lady Muleriders scored in double figures with Olivia McWilliams and Remiah Henry scoring 13 points each.
• It was the 17^th game that McWilliams has scored in double figures and the fourth such game for Henry. Her 13-point effort was the most in a game since she scored a career-high 20 points against Southeastern Oklahoma back in early December.
• The Lady Muleriders were out-scored in the paint 32-8 and were out-rebounded 50-35. 17 of Harding's rebounds came on the offensive glass as they also out-scored SAU 15-2 on second-chance points.

 
UP NEXT
The Lady Muleriders will now turn their attention to the biggest week of their season as they continue to make a push for a ticket to Bartlesville for the GAC Tournament. One game back out of a tie for the eighth and final seed in the tournament, SAU will play three games next week beginning with a "Rivalry Tuesday" matchup at Arkansas-Monticello. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at the Steelman Fieldhouse.