MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Senior forward Devante Brooks and junior combo Jalen Brooks combined for 40 points and 28 rebounds in 65 minutes of action on Tuesday night inside the W.T. Watson Center and together the brothers sparked a second half surge for the Muleriders that sent tenth-year head coach Andy Sharpe's squad past Harding for the eighth consecutive time in an 81-66 victory in Great American Conference action. The action included seven ties and five lead changes and electrified a raucous crowd. The elder of the Brooks brothers, Devante, went for twenty points with a hefty side of 19 rebounds, two steals, one assist and a block to log his 13^th double double of the season, while Jalen recorded twenty points with nine rebounds and four steals.
 
The Muleriders (11-8, 7-6 GAC) picked up a much needed win with two more in-state matchups looming this week. SAU is currently tied with Henderson State for fifth place in league play. Southern Arkansas travels to Arkadelphia on Saturday.
 
SAU trailed by as much as ten points in the first half as Harding jetted to a 32-22 lead with 7:37 remaining before the intermission. The Muleriders proceeded to utilize quick ball movement to give junior guard Ty Archibald a good look from range which he connected on and then used four points from Devante with the final ten points of the half coming courtesy of Jalen as part of a 17-7 run that led to a 39-39 tie at the break following a buzzer-beating three from the half-court release of the younger Brooks.
 
In the second half, the Muleriders were jumpstarted just prior to the under-16 media timeout as senior guard Aaron Lucas, who finished with 14 points and seven assists, nailed a three-point shot putting SAU up 45-43. Coming out of the media and following a basket by the Bisons, Lucas connected on another attempt from range to push the Muleriders to a 48-45 advantage. From that moment, Southern Arkansas engineered a 16-5 run that saw five different players score with Lucas and junior guard Blake Rogers both hitting trifectas to ignite the crowd on their way to a 64-50 lead with 9:19 remaining.
 
SAU's lead grew to as much as twenty points down the stretch before nestling at 15 points; the fifth victory in the eight-game streak that has been decided by 15 or more points. The streak over the Bisons dates back to January 19, 2019 and has spanned four seasons. The Muleriders have also won 10 of the past 12 meetings dating back to the first in that period which occurred on February 18, 2017: an 88-58 victory in Magnolia which ended a six-game losing streak to HU in a span that had seen Harding win 10 of 12 dating back to January 17, 2013.
 
The Muleriders shot just under 45% from the floor in the win and nailed nine three-point attempts. SAU outrebounded Harding 42-39 and forced 21 turnovers, with 14 serving as steals, while 15 of SAU's 21 points off turnovers came in the second half.
 
Southern Arkansas hits the road on Thursday for a 6 p.m. clash inside Steelman Fieldhouse against longtime rival Arkansas-Monticello. It will be the first meeting between the bitter foes since last season's Great American Conference Tournament Championship game: a 75-74 last second win by the Weevils in Monticello. Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.