MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Junior transfer Blake Rogers took a pass from senior Aaron Lucas, drove just inside the perimeter, spun and knocked down a step-back jumper with five seconds left to put Southern Arkansas up 69-67 in Monday evening's Great American Conference affair with league rival Arkansas-Monticello. Prior to the ensuing play, UAM called a timeout it did not have initiating a technical foul which resulted in Lucas making both free throws to lock in a 71-67 victory inside the W.T. Watson Center.
 
The Muleriders (3-0, 3-0 GAC) remain unbeaten after the squad came to life half way through the second half to stage a rally that overcame an eight-point deficit with under six minutes to play, while also fending off a 53.8% shooting percentage (7-of-13) from three-point range by the Weevils.
 
Southern Arkansas did not lead in the second half until Rogers' shot in the final seconds after trailing 33-32 at the intermission. The first half featured seven lead changes and five tied scores, while UAM controlled much of the final twenty minutes as it built a 13-point lead at 48-35 with 14:30 minutes remaining in the game.
 
Trailing 56-46 with 10:13 to play, SAU used consecutive layups from the brotherly duo of Jalen and Devante Brooks on back-to-back possessions, before Lucas, who went a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe in the win, connected on two free throws, while the latter Brooks added a single make from the line to pull the Muleriders to within a bucket at 56-53.
 
UAM's lead would grow to as much as nine moments later, but in the final two minutes J. Brooks knocked down a triple try moments before Lucas collected a steal a turned it into a fastbreak bucket that cut the deficit to just a single point at 67-66. With 53 seconds left, D. Brooks missed the front end of two foul shots before a game-tying make evened the contest at 67 and set the stage for Rogers' aforementioned heroics.
 
Lucas finished with a game-high 23 points with four assists, two rebounds and two steals to earn Peoples Bank Player of the Game honors for the second time in the season's early going. Rogers' final two points were the biggest of the night, but his previous 13 also played a huge role as he knocked down a trio of three-point shots for the third-consecutive game. He added three assists and a block, while J. Brooks scored 14 points and collected ten rebounds in the first double-double effort by a Mulerider this campaign.
 
Southern Arkansas returns to action on Thursday in a road matchup with Arkansas Tech. The Muleriders and Wonder Boys split the season series a year ago with each home team claiming a win. Tip-off from inside Tucker Coliseum is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Live coverage links can be found at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.