ALVA, Okla. – Junior combo Jalen Brooks finished a single-point from matching his career-high scoring effort and a single rebound shy of a double double as he delivered 27 points on 8-of-12 shooting with 10 made free throws to go with nine rebounds. The elder Brooks brother was just as busy as the senior forward Devante delivered his 12^th double double of the campaign with 21 points and 12 rebounds, but a second half surge from Northwestern Oklahoma was enough to put Southern Arkansas away on Saturday as the Rangers topped the Muleriders 71-66 in Great American Conference action from inside Percefull Fieldhouse.
 
The Muleriders (10-8, 6-6 GAC) move to .500 in league play and turn their attention to a three-game week. SAU will enter the new week in a three-way tie with East Central and Southwestern Oklahoma State for sixth-place. Southern Arkansas has lost three of its past four games with all three losses coming by six or fewer points.
 
SAU struggled from three-point range in the defeat knocking down just four of its 21 attempts from range. However, J. Brooks connected on a trifecta with 1:41 remaining in the second half to pull SAU to within three points of the Rangers' lead at 64-61. NWOSU would be unable to initially put Southern Arkansas away as the host missed three of its four free throws over the next 70 seconds, but the Muleriders were unable to draw any closer than four points heading into the final thirty seconds of play which saw the Rangers make all six of their attempts from the stripe.
 
The Muleriders led 30-28 at the half after a back-and-forth first twenty minutes that saw seven lead changes and four tied scores, but NWOSU outscored the visitors by seven in the second half behind 19 points off of turnovers. SAU suffered 19 turnovers to just a dozen by the Rangers.
 
J. Brooks added two blocks and a steal to his stat ledger, while D. Brooks recorded three assists, while seven of his 12 rebounds were off of the offensive glass. SAU outrebounded NWOSU 37-33.
 
Southern Arkansas continues its tight stretch of action on Tuesday back in Magnolia as the Muleriders will play host to Harding in a make-up contest from the previously-scheduled January 15 meeting. Tip-off from inside the W.T. Watson Center is slated for 6 p.m. Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.