MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The new year is in full swing and Great American Conference hardwood action resumes this weekend for the Southern Arkansas Men's and Women's Basketball programs. Both squads, which enjoyed a week and a half hiatus, gear up for 18 league tilts over the next 53 days which also includes twice playing five games in a nine day span in both January and February. Up first for the squads is each's longest conference road trip of the season in the Alva-Weatherford swing into the Sooner State. The Muleriders meet Northwestern Oklahoma State on Thursday (5:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.) and Southwestern Oklahoma State on Saturday (1 p.m. & 3 p.m.). Live coverage links are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.
 
The Southern Arkansas Women enter 2023 at 4-6 overall with an 0-4 mark in league play. Of its four GAC losses, two were in overtime and two were decided by a single bucket. The Muleriders will not only be hunting the first conference victory of the season, but also the first road win as well on Thursday night in Alva.
 
Four players with double-figure scoring averages, led by senior guard Diamond Morris' 12.7 ppg, spark a Mulerider offense that leads the nation (second overall among all NCAA divisions) in scoring average at 92.8 ppg. Ball movement, a stout second-chance scoring effort and a relentless energy on the defensive end of the floor feed SAU's high-octane scoring output.
 
SAU ranks fourth nationally in assists per game at 19.3, less than an assist back of the nation's leader in the category. Seven players average an assist or more per game paced by Morris' 4.0. The Muleriders lead the GAC and rank seventh in DII in offensive rebounds per game with 16.9. Six players are averaging an offensive rebound or more per game with four holding an average north of 1.5.
 
The Muleriders rank in the top six nationally in both turnovers forced per game (25.8) and in steals per game (13.9). Both marks lead the Great American Conference and the extra possessions have aided Southern Arkansas in becoming a threat with the deep trigger as the Muleriders pace the country in three pointers made per game (14.3) and three point attempts per game (41.1). Senior guard Jessica Jones' 2.8 makes from three-point range lead the team and senior guard Mychala Linzy follows with 2.56 per game. Both marks are inside the individual top 50 among DII shooters. Linzy's 50% rate from deep is the tenth-best mark in the country.
 
SAU also leads the GAC in turnover margin (7.9) which ranks 11^th nationally. Freshman Marlee Bright leads the league in assist-to-turnover ratio with a top 20 mark nationally of 3.22. SAU's effort defending the three-point shot is nearly as dominant as its ability to sink it. The Muleriders' 24.2% opponent success rate from beyond-the-arc is tops in the GAC and ranks 13^th in DII.
 
NWOSU is 6-2 overall and the lone 2-2 team in GAC play. Since the 2012-13 season, the Rangers' first in the GAC, the series between the two schools is deadlocked at 9-9 with each team owning six road wins during that span. SAU has won its last two matchups with the Rangers in Alva and three of the past four
 
SWOSU is 1-8 overall with its one win coming in a 15-point home win over East Central. The Lady Bulldogs have gotten the better of the Muleriders since the two first met as GAC foes beginning with the 2011-12 season. SWOSU is 18-2 against the Muleriders during that span and SAU is winless in nine efforts in Weatherford.
   
The Mulerider Men begin 2023 on a four-game winning streak and carry a 7-3 overall record into this weekend's action. SAU is one of five GAC teams with a 3-1 record in league play and will matchup against a pair of teams with a combined 1-7 record in GAC play this season. A pair of wins this weekend would give the Muleriders its third-straight 5-1 start to league play and its fourth such beginning to a conference slate in the past five years.
 
Senior guard Blake Rogers leads the Muleriders in scoring with 12.5 ppg and impactful newcomers LaTreavin Black and Gregory Hammond Jr. each follow with double-figure scoring averages to aid an offense that is averaging the second-most ppg in the GAC at 80.3. SAU is shooting at an overall clip of 48.4% which is a top 50 mark nationally and fourth in the GAC.
 
Southern Arkansas leads the GAC in rebounding margin at +10.8 which ranks sixth nationally. The Muleriders, with six players averaging 2.5 or more rebounds per game and paced in the statistic by Carel Ray Jr.'s 7.3 which edges Black's average of 7.0, grab 39.5 rebounds per game which is second in the GAC and inside the top 40 in DII. The team's 13.7 offensive rebounds per game rank second in the league as well and are the 21^st best average among DII schools. Ray Jr.'s 5.8 defensive rebounds per game leads the conference.
 
Mulerider opponents are shooting 41.9% from the floor and the team's 30.7% three-point field goal defense ranks second in the GAC.
 
Over its four-game winning streak which includes three league opponents and Division II Drury, the Muleriders are shooting 51.3% from the floor with a clip of 47.9% from three-point range. SAU is +47 in rebounding and +76 in scoring. Defensively, the Muleriders are forcing their opponents into a 38.8% success rate from the floor and a 33.3% clip from three. Three of SAU's four opponents shot less than 30% from the three-point range.
 
NWOSU is 4-4 overall and winless in four conference games this season. SAU will look to snap a two-game losing streak in Alva and are 3-6 on the road against the Rangers since the 2012-13 season. The Muleriders won by nine in the opening round of the GAC Tournament last spring.
 
SWOSU is 5-5 overall this season with a 1-3 mark in GAC action; the lone win being a three-point home win against East Central. Since 2011-12, Southern Arkansas is 4-7 against the Bulldogs in Weatherford. In their previous meeting, SWOSU eliminated the Muleriders from the GAC Tournament with a nine-point win in the tournament semifinals.