MAGNOLIA, Ark. – What is your response when the going gets tough? How do you respond when faced with adversity? Those are the questions that the Mark Rutledge-led Muleriders had to ask themselves after a slow start in the Central Region collision against the Mid-American Intercollegiate Conference's (MIAA) Rogers State Hillcats while at home inside the W.T. Watson Center. In the contest, the Blue and Gold sought its first non-conference Central Region win since defeating the University of Mary Marauders in the 2018-19 season.
Southern Arkansas' slow start dropped the Muleriders to a 17-point deficit (29-12) just around the seven-minute mark in the first half. The Hillcats kept that 10+ point advantage steadily until Sunshine State native
Jaren Harris cashed in a corner three to bring the battle within eight points (34-26) with just a minute and a half to go in the first half of play. SAU ended the half on a 10-0 series to bring the contest within two possessions at 34-30 entering the break.
Rogers State quickly looked to gain that large advantage again after coming out from the locker room and expanding the lead to six with a 9-3 run from the Hillcats. Coach Rutledge's unit had different plans, however, as the Muleriders tied the game up at 44 with an 11-5 run.
RSU thought they had seized the momentum back with a crucial three from Bernard Omooria, but senior transfer
Marcus Rodgers Jr. answered with a corner three of his own. One was not enough, though, as
Anthony Igiede tacked on another three-pointer to give Southern Arkansas its first lead since 15:54 to go in the first half (6-4).
From that point on, the Hillcats would only obtain one more lead over SAU (56-55). From that moment, the Muleriders would control the lead, even extending to an eight-point advantage with just under five minutes to go in the competition. The finish was anything but boring as Rogers State tightened the gap to two points.
BJ Davis made his way to the free-throw line after RSU attempted to call a timeout when the group was out of them, forcing a technical foul on the team for two free throws. Davis made one of two from the line, making the lead three points (71-68), and a pair of missed three-point shots by Omooria sealed the deal for Southern Arkansas in the region contest. The Blue and Gold claimed victory over the Hillcats by a final of 71-68 and saw triumph in a non-conference Central Region contest for the first time since 2018. The victory pushes SAU to 3-2, and the Muleriders are now riding a three-game winning streak after falling in their first two contests in the Central Region Tip-Off.
Depth ended up being quite the difference for SAU against Rogers State as Rutledge's squad ranked seventh in bench points per game and exceeded its average again with 48 bench points. In the first half, the Muleriders' shooting percentage was not the highlight, as the group shot just 23.53% from the field. Southern Arkansas embodied the term "halftime adjustments" with nearly a 35% difference in the second half, shooting 58.33%. From three-point range in the first half, the Blue and Gold shot the same as from the entire field (23.53% | 4-17) but then once again completely turned around the shooting as SAU made 71.43% of its shots from beyond the arc (5-7). The game eventually did come down to free throws, and the Muleriders outdid the Hillcats in that category by just two, making 18-22 from the charity stripe.
Leading in the scoring department was the unit's leading scorer for the season,
Anthony Igiede. The sophomore recorded a season-high tie for 18 points, shooting for 50% (5-10), with four of those adding on three points apiece (4-7 3FG). The Baton Rouge native not only led in scoring but also in boards, as he acquired eight rebounds for the contest, seven of which were on the defensive side of the ball. That was not all though, as the sophomore batted away three shots from the Hillcats along with a pair of assists.
Three other members of Rutledge's unit accounted for double-digits, which included
BJ Davis (13),
Rashad Bishop (13), and
Jaren Harris (10).
The Muleriders' next bit of action comes the Saturday following Turkey Day on the road at Coach Rutledge's old stomping grounds of Angelo State.
