MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Make it seven-consecutive victories for the Muleriders. Southern Arkansas shot 56.5% from the floor in the final twenty minutes of action on Thursday night inside the W.T. Watson Center and in the process overcame a six-point halftime deficit to dispatch East Central 74-65 in Great American Conference action which saw 11 lead changes on the night. Southern Arkansas moves to 10-3 overall and its 6-1 league mark pushes the Muleriders into a three-way tie atop the conference standings. The Tigers fall to 7-6 overall and 2-5 in GAC play. The Muleriders have now won five straight at home against East Central.
 
Three players scored in double figures to lead the Muleriders in the win; the team's seventh-straight overall and six-consecutive league victory. Blake Rogers scored 18 points and accounted for four of SAU's 11 made threes on the night. Gregory Hammond Jr. followed with 15 points and Brock Schreiner added 14 points. LaTreavin Black's dozen rebounds led the effort on the glass for SAU, while Hammond added nine boards.
 
SAU led by as much as seven points in the first half as a quick start and up tempo pace set the tone early on. Schreiner scored seven of the Muleriders' first seven points and Kris Wyche followed with six of SAU's first 13. Southern Arkansas led 28-24 with 4:51 remaining before the intermission, but the Tigers closed the half on a 12-2 run to lead 36-30 at the break.
 
The Muleriders outscored ECU 14-4 in points off turnovers with the Tigers not benefitting from a single such point in the second half, while SAU turned in a dozen such points. Southern Arkansas opened the post-intermission action on a 9-0 run to take a 39-36 lead through the first three and a half minutes. The momentum swung back to the host and SAU led 52-51 at the 11:33 mark of the second half.
 
Over the next six-plus minutes, the Muleriders engineered a 15-3 run to jump out front 67-54 around the five and a half minute mark of regulation. The +12 run was capped off by a transition dunk from Hammond Jr. and followed a pair of big-time three-point baskets by Rogers as well as an and-1 play from Jerry Carraway Jr. and a triple try from the guard that helped SAU distance itself midway through the second half. ECU would managed to get as close as seven points, but an energetic crowd backed the Muleriders who shot 13-of-16 from the charity stripe in the second half and made their last six in the final 2:37 of action.  
 
SAU held the league-leaders in shooting percentage to 12 percentage points below its league-best rate. The Muleriders shot above the averages, both from the floor and beyond-the-arc, the Tigers had allowed coming into the game.
 
Southern Arkansas faces Southeastern Oklahoma in another high stakes Great American Conference affair on Saturday in a 3 p.m. tip-off from inside the W.T. Watson Center. The Muleriders enter having won three-straight at home against the Savage Storm. Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.