MAGNOLIA – Southern Arkansas (12-14 | 7-13) played its final regular season contest against a program from the Sooner State as the Muleriders hosted Southwestern Oklahoma State. SAU fell in the outing with the final score of 56-64.
 
Once again, the Muleriders started hot as the group opened the contest with an 18-13 advantage after the first period. The unit led in the opening quarter by as much as eight points.
 
The group was stunned in the second period however as the Bulldogs came back against the Muleriders and came back hard as SWOSU outscored the Blue and Gold 17-5 to make the intermission score 30-23 with the Bulldogs up.
 
The third was all offense and no defense as the Bulldogs barely outscored Southern Arkansas in the third period 24-22. Going into the final quarter of action the Muleriders were down 45-54 with the largest deficit up to that point.
 
The deficit quickly increased as the Bulldogs jumped out to an 11-point lead for the largest advantage of the night. The Muleriders gave it their best attempt at a comeback in the fourth period but were unable to as SWOSU held their advantage and finalized the contest with a 64-56 final.
 
Top Performers:
Elena Lijo-Rodriguez: 18 points (led game), six rebounds, and three blocks (led game)
Addy Tremie: 12 points, one rebound, and one steal
Chloe Wilbanks: 11 points, one rebound, and one assist
Crystal Ortiz: six points and nine rebounds
Tequaza Chambers: four points, 10 rebounds (led game), two assists, and two steals
 
Next Up:
The Muleriders will wrap up their 2024-25 home schedule this week as they play their final home game inside the W.T. Watson Athletic Center against Ouachita Baptist on Thursday, February 27th at 5:30 PM. Thursday's game will be a huge night for Mulerider Athletics as we celebrate Senior Night as well as Community Night and Student Appreciation Night.