MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The Southern Arkansas University Muleriders (8-10, 5-7) will play host to the top two teams in the GAC standings as the Oklahoma Baptist University Bison (12-6, 9-3) come to town on Thursday, January 30th at 7:30 PM and the top-seeded Southern Nazarene University Crimson Storm (14-2, 11-1) on Saturday, February 1st at 3:00 PM in the W.T. Watson Athletic Center.
Series History vs. OBU
The Muleriders currently hold a 13-6 overall record over OBU and are 3-2 in their last five meetings. The first meeting between the teams came on January 7th, 2016, a 78-67 Mulerider victory. The most recent meeting came on December 7th, 2024, a 79-82 Bison's victory which snapped a three-game SAU winning streak in the series.
Series History vs. SNU
The Crimson Storm currently lead the all-time series history 18-6 over the Muleriders. The first meeting between the two teams came on December 29th, 1976, a 68-64 Mulerider victory. The most recent meeting came on December 5th, 2024, with a 67-81 SAU loss.
A Look at SAU
The men are back home this week and riding a lot of momentum after going 2-0 last week and picking up wins over both UAM and Henderson State to put themselves back in the mix for one of the eight spots in the GAC tournament.
The Blue and Gold found their offensive rhythm against both squads pulling off a 76-63 victory over UAM and a 66-61 victory over Henderson State.
BJ Davis led the team in scoring against UAM with 19 points and also drained five made three-pointers to vault the Muleriders past UAM.
Anthony Igiede also recorded his second double-double of the season against the Boll Weevils.
Carel Ray Jr. was the hot hand for the SAU offense against HSU scoring 18 points in the victory.
Nevi Tell sealed the victory for the Muleriders with a late three with four seconds left to walk it off.
BJ Davis still leads the team in scoring with 219 total points and is averaging 12.2 points per game.
Anthony Igiede continues to be another offensive weapon for the Muleriders with 188 total points this season averaging 10.4 points per game.
Christian Caldwell still leads the team in rebounds with 97 total and averages 5.4 rebounds per game.
A Look at OBU
The Bison are coming off of a 1-1 week that saw a loss to Southern Nazarene and a win over Southwestern Oklahoma State to end the week. Daniel Ransom led the scoring against SNU with 15 points. Terry Coner Jr. led the scoring against SWOSU with 22 points.
Terry Coner Jr. is the leading scorer for the Bison with 218 points scored and is averaging 15.6 points per game. Ricky Brown is the second-leading scorer for the Bison with 187 total points and are averaging 10.4 points per game.
A Look at SNU
The Crimson Storm are currently riding a six-game winning streak that began after suffering only their second loss of the season to Harding on January 9th. SNU defeated OBU 88-62 on Thursday then collected another win over Southeastern Oklahoma State on Saturday, 72-60. Stevie Strong led the team in scoring in both wins with 18 points against the Bison and 23 points against the Savage Storm.
Stevie Strong leads the team in scoring with 233 points and averages 16.6 points per game. Baron Bracey is another dangerous offensive weapon for the Crimson Storm with 216 points scored averaging 13.5 points per game. Bracey also leads the team in rebounding with 93 total rebounds and averages 5.8 rebounds per game.
Broadcast Details:
You can watch all the action through the Mulerider Athletics YouTube channel or follow the live stats at muleriderathletics.com.
Next Up
SAU will embark on a four-game road trip over the next two weeks kicked off with a rematch against East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma on February 6th followed by a rematch with Southeastern Oklahoma State in Durant, Oklahoma on February 8th.
