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Southern Arkansas University Athletics

Official Athletics Site of the Southern Arkansas University Muleriders
Devante Brooks grabs rebound vs. Arkansas Tech (12-14-19)
Katy Medford
63
Southern Ark. SA 13-15,10-12 GAC
69
Winner Okla. Baptist OB 20-8,15-7 GAC
Southern Ark. SA
13-15,10-12 GAC
63
Final
69
Okla. Baptist OB
20-8,15-7 GAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Southern Ark. SA 34 29 63
Okla. Baptist OB 30 39 69

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | By: Jacob Pumphrey

Muleriders Topped by Oklahoma Baptist in Regular Season Finale

SAU enters GAC Tournament as No. 7 Seed; faces No. 2 Southeastern Oklahoma on March 5 at noon

SHAWNEE, Okla. – Junior forward Devante Brooks delivered his eighth double-double of the season with 17 points and a Great American Conference and Mulerider program single-game record 23 rebounds in a contest that featured twelve lead changes and six tied scores, but resulted in Oklahoma Baptist pulling away late to top Southern Arkansas 69-63 in the regular season finale on Saturday afternoon from inside the Noble Complex.
 
The Muleriders (13-15, 10-12 GAC) will enter the GAC Tournament, their ninth-consecutive postseason appearance as a league member, as the No. 7 seed where a matchup with No. 2 Southeastern Oklahoma State awaits on Thursday, March 5 at noon from inside Bruin Fieldhouse. The Muleriders dropped the first meeting of the season between the two teams 77-55 on January 11 in Durant, but picked up a key victory inside the W.T. Watson Center with a 69-65 decision on February 20.
 
On Saturday, Southern Arkansas led 34-30 at the intermission, but the Bison outscored the visitors by ten in the final twenty minutes to claim the six-point victory. OBU's lead grew to as much as nine points multiple times in the second half with the final nine-point advantage coming with just 2:22 remaining.
 
SAU quickly cut the deficit to just three points as back-to-back trifectas from junior guard Aaron Lucas brought the Muleriders to within a bucket of tying the game with 1:28 to play. Lucas finished with a game-high 18 points highlighted by a 4-of-9 effort from three-point range to go along with six assists.
 
Brooks grabbed the final of his 11 offensive rebounds (career-high) on a missed three-pointer by redshirt freshman Trent Ivy with 55 seconds to play and his layup that followed kept the deficit at a bucket, 66-63. Down the stretch, the Muleriders had a pair of chances at the free throw line to cut even more into the deficit, but failed to do so as a late fast break dunk by the Bison put the game on ice.

Brooks' 23 boards tops the league's previous-best single game mark of 22 set by Arkansas Tech's Bennie Lufile on December 31, 2016 vs. Missouri S&T.
 
 
 
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