MAGNOLIA, Ark. – As if the free hot dogs and popcorn weren't treat enough on Thursday night, it was a hot start that energized the home crowd and set the tone early for Southern Arkansas inside what was at times a raucous W.T. Watson Center which witnessed the Muleriders lead from start to finish in a 77-62 win over (RV) Southeastern Oklahoma in Great American Conference play. SAU improves to 13-9 on the season with a 9-7 record in conference action and the victory ties the Muleriders with Henderson State for fifth place with six games remaining in the regular season.
 
Senior guard Aaron Lucas, who delivered a busy stat line of 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals, opened scoring with a right wing three-pointer on an assist from junior combo Jalen Brooks that ignited a lively student section and was the start of a 15-4 run by the Muleriders, which included the game's first eight points, to open the contest.
 
The ensuing possession following Lucas' first of four threes on the night resulted in senior forward Devante Brooks collecting a steal and finding junior guard Blake Rogers for a fast break jumper and a 5-0 SAU lead 90 seconds from the opening tip. The elder of the Brooks brothers, Devante produced his 15^th double double of the season with 20 points and 11 rebounds and he added three blocks, three assists and the aforementioned steal. Rogers added 14 points to round out double-figure scoring for SAU.
 
With a 5-0 lead, Lucas nailed another three, on an assist from junior Tyler Garrett, to cap a two-minute run that all but electrified the Watson Center faithful. If those in attendance could not get any more amped, D. Brooks eyed a shot from range and knocked it down to push the Muleriders out to the aforementioned 15-4 lead seconds before the under-16 media timeout was initiated.
 
SOSU would cut down the SAU lead to as little as three points with 8:45 to play in the first half, but another response from deep, this time from the intentional stroke of junior guard Victor Ihrihri, helped keep the Muleriders out front by multiple possessions as the lead grew back to eight. The Savage Storm would manage to cut the first half deficit to three on one more occasion, but it was consecutive buckets by Rogers and three-point makes from sophomore Connor Harvey and J. Brooks that pushed SAU back out by 11 with 3:14 left in the first half.
 
The Muleriders carried a 15-point lead into the intermission and never let it slip below ten points, leading by as much as 20 just prior to the under-12 media timeout of the second half.
 
SAU capitalized with 28 second chance points and just edged SOSU's effort inside despite the visitors employing an overall larger front court. The Muleriders controlled the glass at 49-38 and grabbed 17 offensive rebounds. Southern Arkansas defended well on the perimeter holding SOSU to a 22.2% success rate with just two of its dozen second-half attempts falling. Conversely, the Muleriders hit on ten triple tries as seven different players connected from deep.
 
Southern Arkansas hits the floor on Saturday, February 12 against East Central. Tip-off with the Tigers is slated for 3 p.m. Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.