SEARCY, Ark. – The brotherly duo of Devante and Jalen Brooks combined for 47 points and 24 rebounds as each logged a double-double and Southern Arkansas bounced back in a big way on Saturday afternoon inside Rhodes-Reaves Field House. The Muleriders, behind a hot shooting start from Jalen, cruised from the opening tip as they picked up an 81-53 victory over Harding; the program's fourth-consecutive win over the Bisons and second straight on the road, to close out the first round of play in the Great American Conference's Eastern Division.

Southern Arkansas (4-1, 4-1 GAC) led 41-29 at the intermission and added 40 more points in the final twenty minutes to roll to a 28-point win. SAU led by as much as 15 points in the first half and jumped out to a 20-4 lead in the first 9:45 of play which was highlighted by 15 points from Jalen, which included the Muleriders' first ten points and a personal 8-0 run in the opening 1:27 from J. Brooks to send Southern Arkansas on its way.

J. Brooks shot 8-of-15 from the floor and 4-of-7 from deep. He added 14 rebounds, an assist and a steal. The 25 points scored by the younger Brooks are the most by a Mulerider since his career-high 28 points in a home win against Oklahoma Baptist on January 23, 2020.

The Muleriders handled Harding inside and on the glass as SAU outscored the host 36-26 in points in the paint, while dominating the boards by grabbing 27 more rebounds than the Bisons. The Brooks brothers, a duo that grabbed more combined offensive rebounds than three Division I schools a year ago, were a board shy of matching the Bisons' total output for the night.

Southern Arkansas' 52 rebounds in the win match the team's highest such output from a season ago when they grabbed 52 boards in home wins over Northwestern Oklahoma and Union (TN). That rebound total is also the most by an Andy Sharpe-led team on the road and are the second-most rebounds by the Muleriders away from the W.T. Watson Center in Sharpe's tenure.

D. Brooks' night ended with 22 points on 10-of-16 shooting to go along with ten rebounds, two blocks and a steal. Junior guard Aaron Lucas was busy in 23 minutes of work as he scored eight points and added six assists, four rebounds and three steals.

The 53 points allowed by the Muleriders in Saturday's win are the fewest surrendered in a road victory against a league member since SAU joined the conference in 2011-12.

The Muleriders sit atop the standings and will have a week to prepare before welcoming Henderson State into the W.T. Watson Center on January 23. Fans can follow all of the action at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.