MAGNOLIA, Ark. – In 39 minutes on the floor, Junior forward
Devante Brooks posted a career-high 26 points on a highly-efficient 9-of-10 shooting and he led three other players in double-figure scoring as Southern Arkansas rolled to an 83-63 victory over Arkansas Tech in Great American Conference action on Saturday afternoon from inside the W.T. Watson Center. Sophomore combo
Jalen Brooks followed 20 points, while junior guard
Aaron Lucas added 18 points. Redshirt freshman
Trent Ivy rounded out double-digit scoring with ten points.
The Muleriders led by eight points at the half behind a 48.1% shooting clip and in the second twenty minutes they outscored the Wonder Boys by a dozen points on 53.8% shooting to claim a twenty-point win as SAU evens its league record at 2-2, while improving to 4-5 overall in the first half of the season. In a battle of two of the better rebounding teams in the league, the Muleriders edged Tech by two in the category as they grabbed 34 boards, including ten on the offensive glass.
Tech's last lead of the game came with 11:25 remaining in the first half and with the Wonder Boys up 8-7.
SAU shot 9-of-20 (45%) from three-point range in the victory; the team's highest three-point percentage this season when attempting at least 10 shots from beyond-the-arc. Overall, the Muleriders finished the game at 50.9% (27-of-53) shooting which is also a season-best mark for the club through nine games this season.
The 50 second-half points by the Muleriders are the most in any half against a Division II opponent since February 1, 2018, when SAU dropped 50 points in the opening twenty minutes of play at Southeastern Oklahoma State.
D. Brooks led all players with nine rebounds and J. Brooks followed with eight and flirted with a triple double as he added five assists, while recording one steal and a block as part of a busy 34-minute stat line. Junior
Trey Davis recorded five of the Muleriders' 14 steals in the win.
Southern Arkansas plays one final time in 2019 and will look to even its record at 5-5 as a December 21
st matchup against Williams Baptist awaits at 3 p.m. in Magnolia. Live coverage links will be available at
www.MuleriderAthletics.com.