Box Score BARTLESVILLE, Okla. – Junior forward and All-GAC Second Team selection Devante Brooks recorded his ninth double-double of the 2020 season with 22 points and 12 rebounds on Thursday afternoon from inside Bruin Fieldhouse, but (7) Southern Arkansas dropped its opening round matchup in the Great American Conference Tournament to (2) Southeastern Oklahoma 83-69.
Junior guard Aaron Lucas scored 16 points with six steals and five assists, while All-GAC Honorable Mention Jalen Brooks added ten points, three rebounds and two steals. The Muleriders (13-16, 10-12 GAC) shot 42% (28-of-66) from the floor with just four makes from three-point range.
The Savage Storm led by 11 points at the intermission, but the Muleriders matched SOSU blow-for-blow during the first twelve minutes of action as the contest was tied at 23 with 8:08 to play in the first half. Up to that point in the game, the opening round matchup had featured six tied scores and four lead changes. The Savage Storm then took advantage of an almost six-minute scoring drought by the Muleriders to build a 37-23 lead at the 2:25 mark of the first.
Southern Arkansas managed to briefly pull the lead under double digits as a pair of baskets by freshman Zak-Blue Shagourie cut the deficit to 40-31 with 19 seconds left in the half. The Savage Storm added a bucket in the waning seconds to carry the 11-point lead into the break.
Momentarily in the second half, the Muleriders would manage to cut the deficit back to nine points, before SOSU engineered an 18-6 run while leading 42-33 to take a 60-39 lead; the Savage Storm's largest of the game, with 13:42 to play.
SAU would get as close as 14 points during the final ten minutes as the Savage Storm relied on four players in double figure scoring with Kevin Buckingham's 29 points leading the way.
The Muleriders committed only six turnovers on the afternoon, but were outrebounded by their opposition 38-30.
Brooks finishes his junior campaign with 265 rebounds in 29 games. That total is the second-most in a single season in program history and his 704 career rebounds ranks second as well.
