RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. - Two distinct game-changing drives to the basket by Jerry Carraway Jr., one with under seven seconds remaining in regulation and the other with just over two and a half minutes remaining in the first overtime, resulted in assists on huge three-point buckets for Southern Arkansas on Saturday afternoon. Additionally, the guard drained a triple try from nearby Pottsville to tie the game at 78 with 64 seconds left in the first bonus period to help the Muleriders outlast Arkansas Tech 85-83 in double overtime in the regular season finale from inside Tucker Coliseum.
The win gives the Muleriders (19-9, 15-7 GAC) the league's No. 2 seed in next week's postseason tournament and it matches the program's single-season wins record in the NCAA Era with 19 which was set in the 2018-19 campaign. The second-place finish in the GAC regular season is the highest for the Muleriders in its dozen-year membership in the conference and surpasses the previous-best finish of tied for third in 2014-15. The 15 league wins are the most for Southern Arkansas in its NCAA Era and are the most for Mulerider team since the 1989-90 season.
Carraway's first late game drive found an open Kris Wyche who nailed a corner three from the Mulerider bench to notch the score at 71 with less than ten seconds to play. Following a timeout, ATU's Taelon Peter was unable to convert a nice look at the horn on a drive to the hoop which sent the game to its first extra five-minute set.
Tech opened up overtime No. 1 on a 7-1 run highlighted by a in-transition Peter alley-oop slam to build a 78-72 advantage with 2:51 remaining. Gregory Hammond Jr. benefitted from Carraway's next drive inside as the latter kicked it to the former who nailed a trifecta to pull the Muleriders to within a possession for the lead at 78-75 with 2:32 to play.
Ninety seconds later, Carraway took it himself as he pulled up from near the soon-to-be retired ATU logo and bottomed a three-point basket that evened the contest at 78 and ultimately sent it to an extra bonus session.
At the start of the second overtime, Carraway knocked down a jumper 24 seconds in to give the Muleriders a 80-78 and Hammond responded inside with a paint bucket to push SAU out front by four at 82-78.
The Muleriders, who struggled at the stripe on Saturday, made just enough of their freebies down the stretch using charity makes from Blake Rogers, Jessie Davis Jr. and Carraway to keep the Wonder Boys at bay. Carraway's free throw followed an and-1 baseline turnaround jumper from Tech's Tommy Kamarad to keep SAU out front by two. In the last possession of the night, ATU's Andre Leavell hurried a late look on a spin to the rim that went high off glass as the Muleriders survived the Wonder Boys on the latter's Senior Night.
The Muleriders held a 39-29 lead at the intermission and built its largest lead of the game of 13 points at 32-19 with 5:58 to go in the opening half as well as 44-31 with 18:07 remaining in the second half. From that second 13-point lead, the Wonder Boys responded with a 21-6 run that needed a Carraway layup to tie the contest at 52 with 8:17 to play. A three-point bucket by Carraway gave SAU a brief 60-59 lead with 5:28 remaining.
Tech would retake the lead and build its cushion to seven points through the 2:40 mark. Hammond and Rogers dropped in big baskets and a jump hook by Davis Jr. served as a second-chance bucket that pulled SAU to within three at 69-66 with 63 ticks remaining and just as the clock moved under 30 seconds Carraway scored inside to pull SAU to within one and set the stage for Wyche.
Hammond Jr. led with 21 points on eight made shots with eight rebounds and three assists. Carraway delivered 18 points with five boards and the aforementioned big helpers. Carel Ray Jr. (13 points) and Wyche (12 points) rounded out double-figure scoring.
SAU entered the contest as one of the league's best in rebounding and three-point shooting. The Muleriders were tested, but responsive in both areas in a contest that featured six tied scores and eight lead changes. Southern Arkansas finished -3 in rebounding despite grabbing 44 boards. SAU made a dozen of its 27 attempts from three-point range as a 60% clip in the first half helped the Muleriders to a ten-point halftime lead. SAU shot 6-of-17 combined from beyond-the-arc in the second half and overtime.
Southern Arkansas, the lone team to earn a trip to the GAC Tournament since the first edition of the league's postseason party in 2011-12, will meet the TBD No. 7 seed on Thursday, March 2 in the opening round of the Great American Conference Tournament in Shawnee. Opponent, tip-off time and live coverage links will be available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.
