Durant, Okla. – The SAU Men's Basketball team dropped their conference game Thursday against Southeastern Oklahoma State 78-54, and now the Muleriders find themselves in unfamiliar territory – on a losing streak.

The Muleriders were unable to overcome an ice-cold start to the game that saw the Savage Storm jump out to a 19-0 lead over the game's first eight minutes.

The Muleriders only shot 12.5 percent from three and 23.3 percent from the field in the first half; on the other side, the Savage Storm shot 48.1 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from three.

Kevin Buckingham led all scorers with 23 points and nine rebounds as the Savage Storm overtake the Muleriders for second place in the conference standings.

DeVante Brooks was the only Mulerider to score in double digits, scoring 13 points on 5-12 shooting from the field. Brooks grabbed five rebounds in 36 minutes on the floor.

Draylan Perkins scored nine points on 3-5 shooting from three-point range in 17 minutes; Perkins' three made threes matched the number of threes made by the rest of the Muleriders; and, Gabe Gilliam scored nine points on 4-10 shooting, only going 1-7 from three.

Frank Royles grabbed a team-high six rebounds, and Snyder Cenecharles tossed a team-high three assists to go along with three points and three rebounds.

With the loss, the Muleriders now sit third in the conference standings; they are 18-7 on the season and 13-6 in the conference. The Muleriders travel to Ada to take on East Central this Saturday.