Arkadelphia, Ark. - The Muleriders take on a pair of in-state conference opponents this week as they look to build off a weekend sweep and solidify their place around the top of the GAC Standings. The Muleriders will travel to Arkadelphia on Thursday to take on Henderson State before hosting Arkansas Tech on Saturday. 

The Henderson State Reddies (13-7, 8-6 GAC)are coming off a split of their games last weekend - a 70-64 loss to conference leaders Southern Nazarene was followed by a 83-71 win over third-place Oklahoma Baptist. The last time the Reddies and the Muleriders met, the Muleriders came out on top with a 94-71 victory in Magnolia, a game that opened the conference slate for both teams. In that game, Chris Parker led the Reddies in scoring with 20 points, while Raekwon Rogers grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. On the season, Parker is the team's second-highest scorer, averaging 12.2 points per game. The Reddies leading scorer is Rel Johnson, who is averaging 13.3 points per game, 16th overall in the GAC. Mike Fofana is the third Reddie to average double digits with 10.1 points per game. Fofana also ranks in the top five in rebounding with 7.8 rebounds per game, while Rogers is third in offensive rebounds with 2.9 per game. As a team, the Reddies lead the GAC in offensive rebounds with 12.5 per game. They shoot 43.9 percent from the field, 34.5 percent from three and 68.7 percent from the free-throw line. 

The Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys (8-12, 6-8 GAC) currently hold a one-game lead on Ouachita for the eighth and final spot in the GAC tournament. The Wonder Boys are entering this weekend on a hot streak, winning their last four GAC contests against Southwestern and Northwestern Oklahoma State on the road, as well as East Central and Southeastern Oklahoma at home last weekend. The Wonder Boys boast the number two scoring offense in the GAC, as well as the second-best three-point percentage (37.9 percent). The Wonder Boys have made the most threes in the conference, with 13.6 made threes per game. The last time these two teams met, the Muleriders beat the Wonder Boys 79-65 in Russellville. The leading scorer for the Wonder Boys on the day was Ramses Sandifer with 13 points, as the Muleriders held leading scorer RJ Glasper to just 11 points on 4-17 shooting from the field. On the season, Glasper is averaging 18.6 points per game, fourth-most in the conference. Teammate Will Adler is also in the top 10 for scoring, with 15.6 points per game, and Alex Brown is just outside of the top ten at 11th, with 14.7 points per game. 

The Muleriders enter this weekend off a sweep of Oklahoma opposition - a 76-64 win over SWOSU was followed by a 80-59 win over NWOSU. The Muleriders (16-4, 11-3) are currently second in the GAC standings behind a defense that allows the third-least points and the lowest field goal percentage defense (38.9 percent). The Muleriders have four players averaging over 10 points per game - Jalen Brooks (10.6 points per game), CJ Elkins (10.5 points per game), DeVante Brooks (10.4 points per game) and Aaron Lucas (10.2 points per game). DeVante also ranks in the top five in rebounding and blocked shots. 

After this weekend, the Muleriders host rivals Arkansas-Monticello before going back to Arkadelphia to take on Ouachita.