RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — After a week away from Great American Conference (GAC) action, Head Coach Darrick Matthews and his Muleriders (6-3 | 2-1 GAC) were tasked with taking on one of the league's hottest teams so far in the Arkansas Tech Golden Suns (6-2 | 2-2 GAC). With the task at hand, the Blue and Gold traveled into the Tucker Coliseum and defeated the Golden Suns for the third-straight matchup with a thrilling 86-84 final score. 

With Southern Arkansas' win over Arkansas Tech inside the Tucker Coliseum, the Muleriders have now defeated the Golden Suns on the road for the second-straight year, which marks the first time ever that SAU defeated the Golden Suns on the road for the second-straight season. 

The Muleriders saw multiple impressive performances and four double-digit outings. Leading the unit in scoring was Oklahoma City native Blythe Crawley, as the freshman accounted for 21 points after making 9-of-17 from the field and then 3-for-7 from beyond the arc, leading the Muleriders in three points made. Crawley also led the Muleriders in steals with four. Johnna Brockman also had a great night, as the sophomore recorded 17 points and was 7-for-9 from the field while also shooting 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. Next up on the scoring list was Kennedy Moss, as the freshman from Trophy Club, Texas tallied 15 points after also making 7-of-9 from the field and also making 1-for-2 from beyond the arc. Moss was also responsible for the go-ahead game winning layup off an inbound assist from Marlee Bright. Not only was Moss responsible for the game-winning layup, but the Texan also led the group in rebounds with 9 boards. The last double-digit scorer for the Muleriders was a third true freshman, as Hope Bump accounted for 11 points and was 4-for-10 from the field and made a three-pointer of her own. 

Off the rip from the tip, the Muleriders started the bout slow, meanwhile the Golden Suns got to a hot start with a 17-7 advantage at the 4:39 mark in the first quarter. SAU did not back down though, as the group continued to claw their way back into bout. While the Suns managed to add six more points on their score, the Muleriders accounted for 14 points, bringing the game back within two points, 23-21, before ATU hit a last-minute layup to go back up four at the end of the period, 25-21. 

To start up the second period, Southern Arkansas kept up their momentum with a 6-0 start to the second period, taking the group's first lead at 27-25 with a Moss jumper. ATU tied the match back up before the Muleriders jumped to a 31-27 lead, that eventually stretched to as much as eight points, 41-33. Southern Arkansas' lead was cut down to four before Moss recorded another layup to go up 43-37 heading into the half. 

Coming out of the intermission, the Golden Suns then attempted to comeback, but the Muleriders held the group at bay by jumping back up eight points, 52-44. Southern Arkansas then snatched the group's first double-digit lead of the night with a Brockman jumper, 54-44. Despite some back-and-forth action from then on, the Muleriders held their ten-point lead going into the final period, 66-56. 

SAU quickly jumped out to a 12-point advantage in the fourth after a layup from Bright, 68-56, but from then on the Golden Suns worked their way back into the contest. At the 4:12 mark, Arkansas Tech had regained the lead and looked as if the unit had regained all of the momentum with their 76-75 advantage before adding on two more points thanks to free throws, 78-75. While it seemed like the Golden Suns had recollected the momentum, Shiloh Fletcher stole that momentous run by the Suns with a three ball tying the battle back up at 78-78. Then the Muleriders looked to have claimed the momentum again, scoring the next five points, 83-78, prior to Tech tacking on a pair of layups to bring the match back within one, 83-82. After drawing the necessary fouls to take a trip to the charity stripe with 15 seconds left, Fletch added on a point after her trip to the line, 84-82, before the Muleriders surrendered an Arkansas Tech layup to tie the game at 84-84 with 1.9 seconds remaining. After the Muleriders final timeout being called, Marlee Bright inbounded the ball to Kennedy Moss in stride in the paint, as the freshman took advantage of the wide-open lane to lay the ball in with just 0.9 left on the clock. The Golden Suns were presented with one last opportunity to hit a buzzer-beater three, but with the shot coming up short, the Muleriders escaped the Tucker Coliseum with their sixth victory of the year, second in conference, and third-straight against the Golden Suns. 

Up Next:

The Muleriders will be home just before Christmas, as the unit is set to take on their competitors from Clark County in Henderson State (Thursday | 5:30 PM) and Ouachita Baptist (Saturday | 1:00 PM). 

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