MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The Southern Arkansas University Muleriders (7-8, 4-5 GAC) defeated the Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs (5-10, 2-9 GAC) in dominant fashion tonight with a massive 19-point 73-54 win.
 
The Muleriders got the scoring going early on as Kendal Parker converted an early layup to begin the game. Shortly after, The Bulldogs took the lead with a made three, 3-2. Troy'reon Ramos answered back quickly giving SAU the advantage 5-3. The teams then continued their battle through the first 10 minutes of play, but SWOSU took a lead 17-15 at the 9:50 mark in the first half.
 
SWOSU then tried to pull away, but the Muleriders offense caught fire with 5:06 to go in the first half. Two made three throws by Greg Moore Jr. to retake the lead followed by a three from Troy'reon Ramos and a dunk by JaKourion Key lit the home crowd on fire as the Muleriders began to roll. The offense continued their onslaught all the way to halftime as Kendal Parker drained a buzzer beater three to open a 40-25 lead at intermission.
 
The Bulldogs came out of the half trying to chip away but the offensive and defensive efforts of the Muleriders kept them at bay as SAU continued to pour on the points. With 15:26 to play, John Probey sunk a three to open up the largest lead of the night for SAU, 51-31. After the 15-minute mark in the game, the Muleriders did not let their lead dip below 16-points while taking as large as a 21-point lead on four different occasions.
 
SAU finished the night shooting 48.1% from the field, 38.9% from beyond the arc, and 72.7% from the charity stripe. The defense held the Bulldogs to just 16% from beyond the arc while also holding them to 34.5% shooting from the field. SAU also totaled 30 bench points in the effort while five different Muleriders finished in double digit scoring.
 
"Big time team effort today! The guys shared the ball, hunted great shots and played hard," said Head Coach Mark Rutledge. "They guarded and fought hard to win the rebound battle! We had 30 bench points tonight. That helped us overcome some foul trouble. Proud of this group."
 
Top Performers
JaKourion Key: 14 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist
Kendal Parker: 12 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals
Troy'reon Ramos: 11 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals
Junior Williams: 10 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block
Greg Moore Jr.: 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
John Probey: 9 points, 2 rebounds
 
Up Next
The Muleriders will continue their home slate of games as they prepare for Northwestern Oklahoma State on Saturday, January 17th inside the W.T. Watson Center. Tipoff is set for 3:00 p.m.