RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Southern Arkansas missed on its first eight shot attempts on Thursday night inside Tucker Coliseum and went 2-of-10 from the floor through the under-16 media timeout of the opening half which resulted in the Muleriders having to play with a double-digit deficit for much of the night. Arkansas Tech, which entered the contest having hoisted the most three-point shots of any league team on the young season (105), saw nine of its 24 attempts from range fall, including six in the first twenty minutes of play, as the Wonder Boys claimed a 66-59 win in Great American Conference action.
 
The Muleriders (3-1, 3-1 GAC) never led in the league affair and trailed by as many as 22 points at the 13:30 mark of the second half after carrying a 15-point deficit into the intermission. Southern Arkansas outscored its opponent 39-31 in the second half and Andy Sharpe's bunch held ATU to just ten points in the game's final 5:42, but the Wonder Boys held off SAU down the stretch to earn its first conference win of the season.
 
SAU shot just 27% (9-of-33) overall in the first half, while Tech connected on nearly 54% of its field goal attempts which aided the double-digit halftime advantage. The Muleriders committed just a dozen turnovers, its fewest of the season so far, and allowed just ten ATU free throw attempts, but were edged in rebounding and points in the paint.
 
Highlighting the tough night were a pair of double-double performances from the Brooks brothers. Junior combo Jalen led all players in scoring with 18 points and grabbed ten rebounds, while senior forward Devante scored 17 points with a dozen boards to go along with an assist and a steal in a game-high 39 minutes of action. It was Jalen's eighth double-double of his career and second of the season, while Devante's first double-double effort of the campaign serves as the 23^rd such performance of his career.
 
Junior newcomer Kris Wyche followed with 11 points; the most in his short time as a Mulerider.
 
Southern Arkansas closes out round one of GAC Eastern Division play on Saturday in Searcy. The Muleriders won both matchups with Harding last season and own three-consecutive victories over the Bisons; the program's longest such streak since the two teams became charter members of the GAC in 2011-12. Tip-off from inside Rhodes-Reaves Field House is scheduled for 4 p.m. Live coverage links can be found at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.