MAGNOLIA – The SAU Women's Basketball team claimed their first win of the season Monday with a 72-66 over rivals Arkansas-Monticello. Carrying a 12-point, halftime lead, the Muleriders held the Blossoms at arms' length for the second half despite getting outscored in the third quarter.

After the visitors scored the first basket of the game, the Muleriders responded with a Jessica Jones three-pointer to take the lead, one they would not concede for the remainder for the game.

Kisi Young led all scorers with 19 points on her season debut. The All-GAC Honorable Mention from last season shot 7-8 from two-point range and 5-7 from the free-throw line. The Magnolia native also grabbed five rebounds as the Muleriders outrebounded their opponent 49-43.

Jones joined Young in double-digits, scoring 12 points on 4-7 shooting from the field, including 2-5 from three-point range. Jones also secured three rebounds and two steals as the Muleriders forced their opposition into 28 turnovers.

Lillie Moore led all players with eight rebounds, including four on the offensive glass. Camryn Fennell led the Muleriders with three assists, and Ariana Guinn, Maggie Evans and Moore nabbed three steals each.

The Muleriders only committed 13 fouls, which led to only eight free throw attempts for Monticello, of which they made five. Conversely, the Muleriders shot 17-22 from the charity stripe, an improvement on the 16-32 they shot in their season opener.

The Muleriders climb back to .500 at 1-1; they hit the road for a pair of games this weekend, traveling to Russellville to face division leaders Arkansas Tech on Thursday before traveling to Searcy on Saturday to face Harding.