MAGNOLIA, Ark. - Second-year head coach Logan Quinn couldn't have asked for a more efficient start against (RV) Angelo State on Tuesday evening inside the W.T. Watson Center. However, the ending certainly could have been better for Southern Arkansas in its final non-conference home matchup of the season. The Muleriders saw a 17-point halftime lead dissolve and the win vanish via the game-winning stroke of the Rams' Willie Guy as ASU escaped Magnolia with a 64-63 victory in just the second meeting all-time between the two programs.
 
SAU (2-3) opened on a 9-0 run, jumped out to a 19-4 advantage and then used a Mohamed Traore trifecta with just over a minute before the intermission to build the big lead at the break. Prior to Traore's three, one of eight made three-point buckets for the Muleriders in the loss and the fourth-consecutive game of eight trifectas overall, Christian Caldwell capped a fastbreak moment with a dunk on an assist from Traore who started the run with a stolen possession.
 
A paint bucket by Caldwell opened up the second half and grew SAU's lead to its largest of the night at 19 forty-five seconds into the final twenty minutes of action. ASU proved relentless as the Rams cut the lead to ten at 40-30 with 14:14 to play and again to ten at 47-37 just under the ten-minute mark.
 
Carel Ray Jr. connected on a jumper to move the advantage back to a dozen, but with 8:34 to play, Kevon Godwin hit a three-point shot to bring the Rams to within single digits of the deficit at 49-40. It marked the first single-digit deficit for ASU since the 14:21 mark of the first half. Moments later, Ray again connected on a jumper to push the lead back to ten at 53-43, but a 9-0 Ram run was only halted by a D'Marcus Hall wing three to give SAU the slight advantage at 56-52 with 2:45 left.
 
At the 2:04 mark, Ray answered inside to move the lead to six and followed that with a make with just under a minute to play that pushed SAU's lead back to four following a layup by Godwin.
 
In the final ten seconds, ASU sank a pair of triples and made two free throws to earn the win, while the Muleriders went 3-for-5 from the stripe in the final 35 seconds.
 
ASU benefitted from a dozen points off turnovers in the second half, while SAU finished +10 in paint points, but -1 in rebounding. Ray led SAU with 18 points, five rebounds, three steals and an assist. Caldwell followed with 13 points, four rebounds, two assists, one block and a steal. Hall added ten points and Traore scored eight with five rebounds, four assists and a steal.
 
Southern Arkansas heads into the Thanksgiving holiday at 2-3 overall and will prepare for the start of Great American Conference play as the Muleriders will next hit the floor on Thursday, November 30 at 7:30 p.m. for its first league tilt of the season. SAU plays host to Henderson State inside the W.T. Watson Center. Live coverage links of the action are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.