RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Sophomore combo Jalen Brooks led Southern Arkansas with 20 points in just 17 minutes on the floor, while junior guard Aaron Lucas added 14 points in a game-high 39 minutes, but a gritty comeback effort in the second half stalled late for the Muleriders as Arkansas Tech won 68-63 in Great American Conference action on Saturday afternoon from Tucker Coliseum.
 
With 15:30 minutes to play in the game, the Muleriders (10-12, 7-9 GAC) trailed by 13 points, but engineered a 17-3 run over the next seven-plus minutes to take a 52-51 lead with 7:41 remaining. During that run, SAU received four points from J. Brooks, Lucas and junior guard Dru Smith and five points from Devante Brooks with three of those coming from the free throw line. Lucas' four points during that span came from the stripe as well.
 
The Muleriders shot 81.2% (15-of-21) from the stripe in the second half after making just two of their five first half attempts. However, SAU struggled from deep in the final twenty minutes as they missed all ten of their three-point attempts to finish 4-of-24 (16.7%) from beyond-the-arc.
 
Following a Tech dunk on the ensuing possession after the Muleriders took the lead, D. Brooks put SAU back on top 54-53 with a pair of free throws. Tech managed to build to a four-point advantage at 62-58 with 4:16 to play, but SAU would cut its deficit to a single point at 62-61 with 2:41 left after a basket by freshman guard Dodge Brown.
 
SAU had two chances at a three-point shot in the final thirty seconds but was unable to cut down the small deficit as Tech made 3-of-4 from the line in the final 17 seconds.
 
J. Brooks and Lucas each grabbed seven rebounds and Lucas added four assists and a steal. D. Brooks finished with nine points and eight boards, while redshirt freshman Trent Ivy recorded a career-high nine rebounds.
 
The Wonder Boys finished 11-of-25 from three-point range and shot 46.3% (25-of-54) from the floor as they took a dozen fewer shots than SAU. The Muleriders won the battle inside outscoring their opponent 34-16 in paint points with a +14 rebounding margin.
 
With the loss, Southern Arkansas falls into a three-way tie for the eighth and final postseason spot in the league's upcoming conference tournament in March. The Muleriders' 7-9 conference record is the same as Southwestern Oklahoma State and Ouachita. SAU split the regular season series with the Bulldogs, but dropped their only meeting to this point with the Tigers 68-67 in Arkadelphia on December 7. The two teams clash in Magnolia on February 15.
 
Southern Arkansas will be back in action on Thursday, February 13, in Monticello as the Muleriders and Weevils meet on the hardwood for the second time this season. SAU took the first meeting between the longtime rivals 72-63 on January 16 in Magnolia. Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.