MAGNOLIA, Ark. – It's just a few days away, but the madness of March has already started to sink in as the Muleriders in front of a raucous W.T. Watson Center on Student-Appreciation Night, Community Night, and Senior Night defeated the Ouachita Baptist Tigers 70-61 in a desperately-needed triumph for the Blue and Gold in order to reach its goal of making it to Fort Smith, Arkansas for the 2025 Great American Conference Tournament.
 
Southern Arkansas was highly complimented by an insane performance from Crystal Ortiz, as the senior made her final appearance inside the W.T. Watson Center a special one as the Sallisaw, Oklahoma native's first double-double of her NCAA Division II career. The senior baller accounted for her second-best scoring performance this season with 24 points and a season-high ten rebounds for the double-double. Ortiz' point total vastly came from the arc as the Sooner State senior made 5-8 from three-point range and was 9-16 overall from the floor. Ortiz was had also recorded four offensive boards with six defensive rebounds.
 
Vs. Ouachita Baptist (W, 70-61)
While the Tigers truthfully had no travel plans to Fort Smith next week, the group from Clark County still had plans to play the spoiler for the Muleriders' postseason hopes as Ouachita Baptist came in competitive as the underdog and even gained as much as a nine-point advantage in the first half. The group's three-possession lead lasted for a short time though as SAU brought the contest back within a single-possession game at 16-20 with a good jumper by Tequaza Chambers and a three-pointer by Riley Stanford going into the second period.
 
The Muleriders gained their first lead since the 8:13 mark in the first quarter after a three-point make by Ortiz to go up 23-22. SAU began to build on their lead to as much as six (28-22) but would be slowed down by the Tiger defense and would even surrender the lead again going into halftime as Ouachita Baptist took the go-ahead layup to go up 30-29 at the intermission.
 
The Tigers enjoyed their lead while they could, because as soon as Marlee Bright seized the lead with a layup for the 31-30 lead, but would be quickly countered by an OUA three-pointer made by the ever-so dangerous Laney Mears, 31-33. Chambers then tied the ballgame at 33-33 with a layup and would follow it up with another to take the lead 35-33. While the Tigers tied the game up once more at 35-35, the group would not be able to claim the lead or even tie with the Muleriders after a pair of made free throws for Qua, 37-35. To end the period and head into the fourth, Southern Arkansas would stretch its lead to twelve points (49-37), the highest of the night.
 
Ouachita Baptist did outscore SAU in the fourth period, but it was not enough to overcome the commanding lead set by the Muleriders in the previous quarter as the Blue and Gold claimed win number 13 overall and eight in the conference, 13-14 | 8-13).
 
Players of the Game
Crystal Ortiz: 24 points (led game), 10 rebounds (led game), one assist, and one block
Tequaza Chambers: 16 points, six rebounds, three steals, and one assist
Addy Tremie: 10 points, three rebounds, and one steal
Elena Lijo-Rodriguez: seven blocks (led game | career-high | program record), and nine rebounds
 
Next Up:
The postseason is majorly in the Muleriders' hands now as the group travels to Russellville, Arkansas to face the Arkansas Tech Golden Suns and will face another potential spoiler, and on the first day of March. With a win on Saturday, the group will be going to the GAC Tournament for the first time since the 2022-23 campaign.