LUBBOCK, Texas — Mulerider Women's Basketball began their lone trip to the Lone Star State this season in the Fairfield Inn Classic with an inaugural matchup with the University of Texas-Permian Basin inside Lubbock Christian University's Rip Griffin Center. In the two squads first meeting, Southern Arkansas claimed its win over the Falcons in dominant fashion, as the Blue and Gold went on to claim win number three of the season with a 75-53 final score.
Southern Arkansas rode a balanced and explosive effort behind Hope Bump's 20 points, fueled by six made threes, and Shiloh Fletcher's 17 points and four assists. Blythe Crawley added 12 points with two threes of her own, while Marlee Bright orchestrated the offense and defense with five assists, three steals, and four rebounds. Elena Lijo-Rodriguez and Kadia Ward also chipped in key buckets and strong rebounding to help SAU control the pace throughout, as each recorded 10 points with six rebounds.
The Muleriders set the tone immediately, racing to a quick 5–0 lead behind Lijo-Rodriguez's and-one finish. After UTPB answered to make it 5–2, Ward and Crawley helped SAU respond with a series of baskets that stretched the lead to 13–5. UTPB briefly closed the gap to 17–7, but SAU's defensive pressure created turnovers that rapidly turned into points. Fletcher's free throws pushed the advantage to 17–5, and a Bump transition three expanded the lead to 25–9. The Muleriders closed the quarter with another late jumper to take a commanding 29–16 lead after ten minutes.
UTPB opened with free throws to trim the lead to 29–18, and after another pair at the line it became 29–20. SAU answered with a Crawley jumper to push the margin back to 31–20, and moments later the freshman connected from beyond the arc to stretch the lead to 34–20. The Falcons slowly chipped into the gap at the charity stripe, narrowing it to 37–26, then to 38–29 after a series of fouls. In the final minute, UTPB made two more free throws, cutting it to 40–31, where the score held at halftime.
Coming out of the break, SAU again steadied itself through Fletcher, who scored to make it 42–31. The Falcons answered with free throws before Bump buried a corner three to extend the lead to 37–22 earlier in the frame and later stabilize it around double digits. Both teams traded baskets as the quarter settled into a defensive grind. A Fletcher jumper with 2:27 left pushed the Muleriders ahead 40–29, and despite free throws on the other end, SAU maintained its rhythm enough to carry a 53–44 advantage into the fourth.
Southern Arkansas closed with its strongest stretch of the night. Early in the quarter, Fletcher converted in the lane to push the lead to 55–44, and after a defensive stop, Bump drilled another three in transition to make it 58–44. UTPB managed baskets to close within 60–48, but SAU immediately countered with another Bump three and then a Crawley finish in transition that extended the advantage to 65–48. The Muleriders kept the pressure on, pushing the lead past 20 as they surged to a 72–51 margin in the final minutes. A final free throw and defensive stand sealed the night as SAU secured a convincing 75–53 victory to move to 3–1 on the season.
Up Next:
The Muleriders now get set to take on the Fairfield Inn Classic hosts, as Southern Arkansas will face Lubbock Christian tomorrow, November 22, at 6:00 PM.
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