DALLAS, Texas — Mulerider Men's Basketball wrapped up their trip to the Lone Star State after taking on the Dallas Baptist Patriots. The Muleriders now look forward to conference play, as the Blue and Gold will open up competition in the GAC at home against Southern Nazarene this coming Thursday (Dec. 4) at 7:30 PM.
Southern Arkansas wrapped up its trip to Dallas on Saturday with a 99–85 road loss to Dallas Baptist. The Muleriders were led by a highly efficient performance from Roderick Williams Jr. (Junior Williams), who poured in 23 points on 9-of-10 shooting while adding five rebounds and two assists. Greg Moore Jr. followed with 14 points, eight assists and five boards, while Troy'reon Ramos contributed 13 points, including three makes from beyond the arc. Jair Horton added 11 points, and John Carter Metz supplied a lift with five points off the bench.
"That's a tough team to beat," exclaimed Head Coach Mark Rutledge. "Especially at their place. Credit to DBU for how they shot it. Our guys played extremely hard. We needed to do a better job taking care of the ball and defensive rebounding. We overcame some early adversity and made a good run in the second half to within one, but didn't finish. We had 44 paint points but only attempted 10 free throws compared to the 23 free throws that DBU attempted. That's hard to overcome but it's possible. It was a great test heading into conference play."
Southern Arkansas opened the afternoon trading baskets with the Patriots, matching DBU's early pace with strong finishes from Williams Jr. and driving baskets from Horton and Jakourion Key. DBU used a pair of early threes to create a small gap, but the Muleriders responded with a 6–0 burst to tie the game at 6–6. As the half progressed, turnovers became a factor, DBU turned SAU giveaways into quick points, creating separation with a 12–3 run midway through the period. Ramos steadied the Muleriders with a three, while Metz and Moore Jr. chipped in key buckets to keep the deficit manageable. Williams Jr. remained a consistent scoring option inside, converting high-percentage looks and second-chance opportunities. Despite SAU shooting 50% in the half and creating 24 points in the paint, DBU's efficiency from deep and success turning defense into offense helped the Patriots take a 51–43 lead into the break.
The Muleriders came out of halftime with energy, cutting into the deficit through steady offensive execution. Williams Jr. opened the period with more work in the paint, and Moore Jr. continued facilitating well, setting up both inside finishes and perimeter looks. SAU generated multiple transition opportunities, including an 11-point fast-break output in the second half, but DBU consistently answered with scoring of its own. The Patriots leaned heavily on interior production and forced several turnovers that prevented the Muleriders from mounting a sustained push. SAU found rhythm from three late, as Ramos and Moore Jr. hit perimeter shots to keep the margin from widening, and Williams Jr. continued to score efficiently down the stretch. However, DBU's depth proved pivotal, the Patriots received 21 second-half bench points and maintained control of the tempo, ultimately sealing a 99–85 win despite SAU shooting an impressive 62% from the floor in the final 20 minutes.
"Rutledge remarks about his team's non-conference schedule, "We didn't finish our non-conference like we wanted to but we scheduled tough intentionally. One of our six non-conference games was at home. We played three true road games against Division II competition and played a road exhibition game versus Division I Houston Christian. We're excited to come home and start conference play."
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