MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Southern Arkansas never trailed on Saturday afternoon as the Muleriders used a solid effort from the floor (56.1%) and from beyond-the-arc (50%), while winning the rebound battle (+13) in a 94-58 Great American Conference win over Harding from inside a lively W.T. Watson Center on the first weekend of December. Junior guard Gregory Hammond Jr. led the offensive attack with 23 points on an efficient 10-of-15 shooting with five rebounds, two blocks and a steal. Four other Muleriders scored in double figures. Southern Arkansas dominated defensively around the perimeter holding Harding to a 21.1% shooting rate overall from three-point range. The win moves the Muleriders to 4-3 overall and is the first for SAU in league play as its conference record evens at 1-1 in the early going of the season. It marks the ninth straight win for SAU over the Bisons.

The Muleriders reached the 90-point mark for the first time against a GAC opponent since scoring 94 points in a 23-point home win over Henderson State on November 29, 2018. Additionally, SAU's hot shooting from three-point range resulted in its first effort of 14 made threes against a league opponent since sinking 15 against Arkansas Tech on February 15, 2018. 
 
Led by 13 first-half points on 6-of-7 shooting from Hammond Jr. and eight points from senior guard Kris Wyche which included two of SAU's three three-point makes in the opening twenty minutes, Southern Arkansas jumped out a 16-point lead at the intermission. Five other players got in on the first half scoring act as the Muleriders shot it well as a team with a 60.7% shooting clip from the floor. Much of SAU's damage in the first half came inside the paint as the host went into the break with as many paint points as Harding had total points.
 
SAU used nine Bisons turnovers to score ten points, while Harding managed just a bucket off of seven Mulerider turnovers in the first half. One of the top teams in defending the three, it carried into Saturday's affair for SAU as Harding sank just one of its 11 attempts from three-point range in the period.
 
The momentum carried over into the second half of play as the Muleriders advantage grew to 25 prior to the under-12 media timeout. Five different players aided in the scoring onslaught through the first eight minutes of the second half with senior guard Blake Rogers leading with six points behind an old-fashioned three-point play and a trifecta.
 
Harding would cut the deficit to only 20 points in the final 12 minutes of play as the Muleriders utilized an 11-0 run as part of a 19-5 scoring effort that began with 5:12 remaining and closed out the contest.
 
SAU finished with 19 points off of turnovers and finished at +13 in the stat.
 
Wyche followed with 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting from three-point range. He added six rebounds, two assists and a block. Jerry Carraway Jr. added a dozen points and delivered six of SAU's 15 assists. Rogers scored 11 points, grabbed five rebounds and an assist. Senior forward LaTreavin Black rounded out double-figure scoring with ten points on an efficient 4-of-5 shooting. Sophomore guard Carel Ray Jr. produced a team-high seven rebounds to go along with nine points.  
 
Southern Arkansas returns to action in a week for a road matchup in Arkadelphia against Ouachita. Tip-off from inside Bill Vining Arena is set for 3 p.m. Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.