MAGNOLIA, Ark. — It was about exciting as it could have gotten in the W.T. Watson Center as the Southern Arkansas Muleriders (10-9 | 5-8) took on the Oklahoma Baptist Bison (13-6 | 9-4) in a very physical outing in front of a raucous Muleriders fan club.
To cap off the night for the Blue and Gold, the group earned their tenth victory of the season after defeating the Bison 58-56 to gain vengeance against OBU after having lost to the unit in Shawnee earlier in the season.
The Bison looked as if they were going to control this contest from the get go, but Darrick Matthews' Muleriders had different plans against one of the conference's top teams this campaign.
Early on, OBU went up 6-0 after three-straight shots made in the paint before the Muleriders could respond with points of their own. A three-pointer from Addy Tremie was that response and it seemed to set the tone for the Southern Arkansas offense for the remainder of the contest.
SAU tied the ballgame at 10-10 after three straight offensive possessions where senior Tequaza Chambers made her shots count with a three-pointer and back-to-back layups. Qua also gained the first lead for Southern Arkansas with another layup and the group would hold onto its 2-point lead into the second period, 16-14.
The Muleriders began to catch some heat offensively and defensively in the second as the unit owned the period, outscoring the visiting Bison 18-9 in the quarter thanks to an all-around team effort shooting the ball and defending down the other side of the court. At the intermission, the Blue and Gold led 34-23.
Just under halfway through the third period, the Muleriders seemed to have gained all of the momentum as they reached their largest advantage of 15-points at 44-29. Oklahoma Baptist tried to claw its way back into the contest entering the fourth as they decreased the deficit to five points, but would feel the momentum slip away again with a Chloe Wilbanks shot made from beyond the arc, 47-39.
Even after increasing their lead back to ten midway through the fourth, the Bison never quit against the hometown team as Oklahoma Baptist eventually did claw back in the contest with a 7-0 run to bring the bout within one point. Thanks to a Crystal Ortiz block on a driving layup to the basket, the Muleriders survived at home and claimed conference win number five.
Players of the Game:
Tequaza Chambers: 19 points (led game), 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals
Addy Tremie: 14 points and 8 rebounds (led game)
Elena Lijo-Rodriguez: 4 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 blocks (led team)
Crystal Ortiz: 3 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks (game-sealing block)
Next Up:
The Muleriders will be back in action Saturday, February 1st at the W.T. Watson Center in Magnolia, Arkansas as they look to extend their winning streak against a top team in the GAC as they take on Southern Nazarene University at 1:00 P.M. CT.
