MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Southern Arkansas turned 24 Ouachita turnovers into 27 points, shot 50% from the field and pulled away in the final 14 minutes of action to capture a 68-57 Great American Conference victory on Thursday night inside the W.T. Watson Center.
 
The Muleriders (7-2, 6-2 GAC) move back into first place in the GAC's Eastern Division standings as an Arkansas-Monticello loss to Harding puts SAU up one game in the loss column.
 
It was a triple try by senior guard Aaron Lucas, three of his game-high 18 points in the contest, at the 13:57 mark of the second half that broke a 41-41 tie. That successful bucket spurred a 16-3 run for the Muleriders and SAU would not lead by fewer than eight points down the stretch as they captured their eighth straight home victory.
 
With 5:56 to play in the opening twenty minutes, junior combo Jalen Brooks knocked down a fast break jumper to break an 18-18 tie and in the next 46 seconds buckets by freshman guard Dodge Brown and Lucas quickly put SAU up 24-18. The Muleriders outscored Ouachita 36-29 in the second half in a game that just featured four tied scores and two lead changes.
 
SAU went 4-of-9 from beyond-the-arc in both halves as they connected on 44.4% of their three point attempts; the team's second-highest such shooting percentage in a game this season. The group's 16 assists matches the output last Thursday night in a win over Ouachita and is one shy of matching the season-high.
 
Lucas added five assists to his stat ledger and junior combo Jalen Brooks filled up several statistical columns as he delivered 11 points, nine rebounds, five of the Muleriders' 11 steals, three assists and two blocks in 37 minutes of work.
 
It is the sixth time in nine games this season that a Mulerider opponent has been held under 66 points and the third time an opposing team has failed to reach the 60-point mark.
 
Southern Arkansas prepares for its third matchup of the season with Henderson State on Saturday, February 6. The Muleriders won 83-77 in Arkadelphia on January 7 and topped the Reddies in a tightly-contested 68-66 affair on January 23 in Magnolia. Tip-off from inside the HSU's Duke Wells Center is set for 4 p.m. Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.