MAGNOLIA, Ark. – One night after Pro Football Hall of Fame Quarterback Terry Bradshaw entertained a capacity crowd inside the W.T. Watson Center as part of Southern Arkansas University's Farmers Bank & Trust Distinguished Speakers Series, it was another former Woodlawn-Shreveport standout that took the spotlight as SAU senior forward Devante Brooks delivered 19 points on 70% shooting with nine rebounds, two assists, one block and a steal in the Muleriders' dominant 91-52 win over Arkansas Baptist in the 2021-22 home opener on Wednesday night in Magnolia.
 
Southern Arkansas (1-2) shot 49.3% (33-of-67) from the floor, including a 57.14% mark in the final twenty minutes, dished out 23 assists, scored 22 points off of turnovers and never trailed in the contest. The Muleriders delivered 30 of its 46 paint points in the second half.
 
SAU led by five points five minutes into the game, before D. Brooks notched a mark on the #DevanteDunk meter which was followed by a jumper from the elder of the two brothers and another dunk; this one an in-transition, fast break offering from junior guard Tyler Garrett that D. Brooks capped with two hands.
 
Arkansas Baptist would battle back and cut its deficit to six at 22-16 with 11:16 remaining in the first half. That is as close as the Buffaloes would get for the remainder of the contest as SAU carried an 11-point lead into the intermission as the team's final six points in the final 3:11 all came from the charity stripe, including three from D. Brooks who finished 5-of-8 from the line for the night.
 
The lead quickly grew to 18 points coming out of the break as junior guard Blake Rogers accounted for five of the first seven points which included the opening bucket for either team in the second half. Sophomore forward Jessie Davis Jr. scored eight of his ten points in a span of 1:58 and D. Brooks brought the house down and put the student section on its feet by finishing an emphatic alley-oop slam from the assist of Jalen in a sequence that undoubtedly had been practiced before.
 
All fourteen players on the roster saw on-court action in the victory and all fourteen players scored. A former Woodlawn-Shreveport standout in his own right, junior combo Jalen Brooks followed Devante in scoring with 11 points, added six rebounds and five assists. Rogers scored ten points and Davis Jr. added ten points and six rebounds in just nine minutes.
 
Junior guard Ty Archibald recorded five assists, senior guard Aaron Lucas collected seven rebounds and the Muleriders shot 33% from three-point range connecting on ten of their 30 attempts. Garrett, who was inserted into a starting role for Wednesday's matchup with the Buffaloes, nailed his first three trifectas to help send SAU on its way courtesy of a collectively hot start.
 
Southern Arkansas hits the road this weekend for a Saturday night meeting with #19/18 Dallas Baptist in the Lone Star State. Tipoff from inside DBU's Burg Center is set for 6 p.m. The matchup, the second meeting between the two programs this calendar year, is a rematch of the opening round of the 2021 South Central Regional Tournament. The Patriots won 83-61. Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.