MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Head Coach Darrick Matthews and his Muleriders gear up for a weekend at home, but not just any weekend, conference-opening weekend. Southern Arkansas is set to host two teams in the Great American Conference's Preseason Coaches Poll top five. The Blue and Gold will face the Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm, who were tied to finish first in the league, and the Oklahoma Baptist Bison, who were voted to finish fifth in the league.
 
The Muleriders will begin their weekend slate against the Crimson Storm from Bethany, Oklahoma, with a Thursday night (Dec. 4) outing starting at 5:30 PM. For the contest against the OBU Bison, the Muleriders will tip off that bout at 1:00 PM on Saturday (Dec. 6).
 
Broadcast Information
Thursday and Saturday's games will be broadcast on the Southern Arkansas University Hudl Fan page with Dan Gregory calling all the action. You can also listen to the contests with Dan Gregory on Magnolia's 99.1 KVMZ.
 
SAU Notables
>>> Southern Arkansas is coming off its home opener last Tuesday (Nov. 25) against the Christian Brothers Lady Buccaneers, with a final score of 91-35. The Muleriders controlled both ends of the floor in that contest, even jumping out to an early lead of 25-0 in the first period.
>>> Leading the Blue and Gold in scoring, six games in, has been true freshman Blythe Crawley. A native of Oklahoma City, Crawley leads Southern Arkansas in scoring with her point average of 13.7 points per game. The freshman's 82 points accounted for are the most recorded by a Mulerider this year, with fellow true freshman Hope Bump not far behind with 75 points (12.5 ppg).
>>> Coming off of her second double-double within the first six games, Elena Lijo-Rodriguez leads the Muleriders in rebounds, as the senior from A Coruna, Spain has accounted for 45 boards up to this point (16 offensive – 29 defensive). She is also third on the roster for points accounted for with 74 points (12.3 ppg). Immediately behind Elena in rebounds is junior transfer Kadia Ward (KD Ward) with 40 boards (7 offensive – 33 defensive).
>>> While the Muleriders don't lead the conference in any particular statistical category in the GAC, the group does rank in the top quarter of the conference in nine different statistical categories. Those nine include assists/turnover ratio (1.18 | 4^th GAC | 17^th DII), bench points per game (25.5 | 4^th GAC), defensive field goal percentage (33.5 | 4^th GAC | 26^th DII), rebound margin (6.2 | 4^th GAC), defensive rebounds per game (29.2 | 2^nd GAC | 34^th DII), rebounds per game (41.83 | 4^th GAC), steals per game (8.5 | 4^th GAC), three point percentage (37.2 | 2^nd GAC | 18^th DII), defensive three point percentage (27.8 | 4^th GAC), and fewest turnovers per game (12.2 | 2^nd GAC | 7^th DII).
 
Series History vs. SNU
SAU vs. SNU | 12/4 (5:30 PM)
26^th meeting, SNU leads 20-5
First Meeting: 1/12/2013 – SNU won 86-66 (Magnolia, Ark.)
Last Meeting: 2/1/2025 – SNU won 92-87 (2OT) (Magnolia, Ark.)
 
SNU Notables
>>> One of the two preseason favorites in the GAC, Southern Nazarene began its campaign with a 0-4 record after falling to 6^th-ranked Texas Women's (78-44), 7^th-ranked Lubbock Christian (72-49), Texas-Permian Basin (49-47), and Missouri Southern (85-75).
>>> The Muleriders and Crimson Storm started their league action against each other last season, but in Bethany, as Southern Arkansas fell to SNU 61-50 in that outing, even though SAU outscored the Crimson Storm in the second half. The exact opposite occurred in the groups' second meeting of the season, with the Muleriders gaining a monumental lead of 17 points in the first period over SNU. Southern Nazarene slowly gained back up to the SAU in the contest, and eventually propelled the outing to overtime, and then a second before defeating Southern Arkansas 92-87 in double overtime.
>>> Leading the Crimson Storm in scoring has been junior Jillian Crawford. A native of Piedmont, Oklahoma, Crawford has recorded 44 points this season and leads the group in points per game with 11.0 per outing. Crawford is also the leader for three-pointers made for SNU, as she has recorded 18 shots made from beyond the arc of her 40 attempts (45.0%).
>>> Out of Perth, Australia, senior Hannah Duncan leads the group in rebounding with 27 boards (1 offensive – 26 defensive). The senior is also the team's leader in blocks with five.
 
Series History vs. OBU
SAU vs. OBU | 12/6 (1:00 PM)
19^th meeting, OBU leads 10-8
First Meeting: 1/7/2016 – OBU won 89-81 (Shawnee, Okla.)
Last Meeting: 1/30/2025 – SAU won 58-56 (Magnolia, Ark.)
 
OBU Notables
>>> The Bison have gotten off to a solid start in the 25-26 campaign, as the group began their year 4-2, only with losses to Northeastern State (83-77) and St. Mary's (50-44). Thus far, Oklahoma Baptist has played two true road games, with one being against St. Mary's in San Antonio, Texas, and the other being against UT-Dallas in Richardson, Texas, with a 64-54 win.
>>> Southern Arkansas and the Bison met in some close-fought clashes last season, as the two split the series against one another, with both winning their games at home. The Muleriders got the last laugh in the matter, with SAU defeating Oklahoma Baptist 58-56 in Magnolia. The two units' matchup in Shawnee, Oklahoma, saw about as close a battle as possible for the first three periods, before the Bison separated themselves with a 22-13 fourth quarter to win 64-57.
>>> Leading Oklahoma Baptist in scoring so far, and by a large margin, is senior forward Jaedyn Getman. The Sooner State native is nearly outscoring the rest of her team by 90 points, as she has accounted for 155 points and averages 25.8 points per game, which is the best in the GAC for both statistics. Getman is the conference leader in many categories, such as points scored (5^th DII), points per game (2^nd DII), double-doubles (3 | 12^th DII), field goal attempts (104 | 21^st DII), field goals made (52 | 12^th DII), and free throws made (37 | 14^th DII). Getman has already accounted for a GAC Offensive Player of the Week honor.
>>> The Bison lead the conference in three different statistical categories, which include free throw percentage (82.7 | 4^th DII), defensive three-point percentage (23.8 | 41^st DII), and fewest turnovers per game (11.5 | 5^th DII).
 
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