MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Sophomore
Carel Ray Jr.'s off-the-bench double-double of 14 points and 15 rebounds highlighted a downright tough effort by first-year head coach
Logan Quinn's Muleriders on Saturday afternoon as Southern Arkansas downed Arkansas Tech 62-53 in Great American Conference action from inside the W.T. Watson Center. The win is the third-straight for SAU which moves to 6-3 overall and 3-1 in league play. The loss is the first for the Wonder Boys in GAC action.
The Muleriders trailed 12-3 through the under-16 media timeout, but battled out of the early hole to grab a 20-19 lead at the 7:24 mark of the first half. Ray scored inside on an assist from junior
Jessie Davis Jr. to cap a 7-1 run and bring SAU to within three of Tech's lead just prior to the under-12 media. The Wonder Boys' lead quickly moved back to nine points, but it was trifectas from the triggers of grad
Brock Schreiner and Ray that again cut the deficit to one possession, before junior
Gregory Hammond Jr. scored down low moments before senior
Blake Rogers laid in the aforementioned go-ahead bucket.
The next seven minutes of game time would see either team's largest lead stand at just two points, before a fast break basket by ATU in the half's final thirty seconds sent the Wonder Boys into the intermission leading 30-27.
Successful triple tries from the stroke of senior
Kris Wyche and classmate Rogers on two of SAU's first three second half possessions put the Muleriders up 33-30.
LaTreavin Black, a gritty force all afternoon for the Muleriders, scored in the paint to push the lead to five at 35-30. A free throw at the 12:54 mark of the second half gave Tech its last lead of the afternoon at 37-36.
The Muleriders employed a 26-10 run up through a minute and a half remaining to ease past ATU in a game that combined for ten lead changes and seven tied scores of which most occurred in the opening twenty minutes of play. Five players accounted for the offensive production during the +16 run with Ray scoring eight points, Schreiner adding seven, six from Wyche, a three from Hammond Jr. and a bucket by Black.
Southern Arkansas battled inside to win the paint (26-20) and the skirmish on the glass (42-31). The Muleriders shot 40.4% from the floor which included knocking in eight of its 21 attempts from three-point range. SAU shot 80% (12-15) from the stripe. Defensively, SAU locked down on the perimeter holding Tech to just six makes in 26 attempts from deep which included a pair of makes in the game's final ten seconds.
Schreiner and Wyche each registered 33 minutes on the floor. Wyche scored 11 points, added seven rebounds and a pair of assists. Schreiner scored ten points, gathered six rebounds, and delivered three assists, a block and a steal. Black scored four points and picked up six rebounds to go along with four steals and a block.
Southern Arkansas closes out the '22 portion of its schedule on Monday at home as they welcome in Drury for a 5 p.m. tip-off from inside the W.T. Watson Center. Live coverage links are available at
www.MuleriderAthletics.com.
