ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Four Lady Muleriders scored in double-figures led by sophomore forward
Kimberly Crown and junior guard
Olivia McWilliams' 19 points apiece, but Ouachita was too much for Southern Arkansas to overcome in the second half as the Tigers solidified their postseason seeding with a 98-83 win in the Great American Conference regular season finale on Saturday afternoon inside Bill Vining Arena.
A win Saturday afternoon would have put Southern Arkansas into the tournament and of the 32 different GAC postseason seeding scenarios that could have played out entering the final day of the regular season, just four remain possibilities for the Lady Muleriders to slide in the backdoor to Bartlesville. Wins by both Oklahoma Baptist and Southeastern Oklahoma tonight would guarantee SAU the eighth and final seed and a postseason trip to the Sooner State.
The Lady Muleriders (9-19, 8-14 GAC) led for the first 9:07 of the first quarter and played to a 25-25 tie at the 7:39 mark of the second quarter. The game featured six tied scores and three lead changes, all of which happened in the first half, as Ouachita surged from behind and built a lead that grew to as much as 14 points during the remainder of the opening half, while the Tigers led by a dozen points at the break.
Southern Arkansas quickly cut the halftime deficit in half in the first minute and a half of the third quarter as Ouachita led by just six points, 46-40. That would be the closest SAU would come to the Tigers in the second half as Ouachita built an 18-point advantage after three quarters and led by 18 points with 1:34 to play in the game.
SAU turned 15 Tiger turnovers into 19 points including 14 in the fourth quarter, but Ouachita had managed to build a substantial lead behind a 51.5% (35-of-68) shooting clip, including a 52.0% mark from beyond-the-arc (13-of-25). Both shooting marks by the Tigers are opponent season-highs against SAU. Six players scored in double figures for OUA.
Southern Arkansas shot 44.1% (30-of-68) from the field and made six of their 12 three-point attempts, while shooting 77.3% (17-of-22) from the free throw line.
Crown's 19 points came in her third-straight double-double performance and 11
th of the season as she finished with 11 rebounds. McWilliams added four rebounds, an assist and one steal to her stat line. Senior guard
Anna Djedjemel followed with 14 points, a game-high seven assists and added three rebounds and a pair of steals, while classmate guard
Sue Key added 13 points to go along with six rebounds, two steals and an assist and block each.
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