MAGNOLIA, Ark. — It has been 700 days since the Mulerider Women (9-7 | 5-5 GAC) have been given an opportunity to knock off a top-25 team inside the W.T. Watson Center, and it has been 2,204 days since the Blue and Gold have done so. Now that 2,204-day stretch has been erased and reset back to zero, as Head Coach Darrick Matthews and his Muleriders have taken down the 19th-ranked Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers (13-3 | 8-2 GAC) in a defensive battle against NWOSU, resulting in a 58-51 victory at home for Southern Arkansas. With the win, the Muleriders have also ended their four-game losing streak in pretty much the biggest way possible at this point in the season.
Southern Arkansas was led in scoring for the day by freshman Kennedy Moss, as the Trophy Club, Texas native recorded 15 points and went 5-for-10 from the floor. Moss kept the 50% shooting from beyond the arc as well, with the Texan going 2-for-4 from three-point range. Two more Muleriders accounted for double-digit outings, with Blythe Crawley recording 11 points and Kadia Ward with 10. SAU also saw a pair go for nine points each, as Elena Lijo-Rodriguez and Hope Bump did so, with Bump's nine all coming from beyond the arc. Elena not only had a good game, but also had an elite game defensively with five blocks for a new season-high. Playing nearly lights out in nearly every other category was Marlee Bright, as the senior led the team in rebounds with seven, assists with six, and steals with five.
The Muleriders started the matchup about as hot as anyone could have asked, as the Blue and Gold went up 8-0 with a pair of Bump threes and a Lijo-Rodriguez layup. That ended up being the story of the first period for the contest, as the Muleriders held on to their lead steadily with just the Rangers closing the gap to just a three-point deficit at the end of the period, 18-15.
It took about a minute and a half until either group was able to score in the second quarter, as NWOSU struck first with a pair of free throws to cut the lead down to one, 18-17. The Rangers were not able to score for the next six minutes while Southern Arkansas accounted for six points in that process, making it 24-17. After those six minutes, Northwestern Oklahoma State broke its silence finally with a three ball, but SAU followed it up with the next five points to go up 29-20 with just under 2 minutes left in the half. The only other score before the intermission came by the Rangers with a jumper to close the deficit to seven, 29-22, going into the break.
It took nearly another minute and a half until the scoreboard had changed in the second half, as NWOSU started the second half scoring with a made free throw and a layup to bring the game within four points, 29-25. That four four-point lead held up after multiple back-to-back scores, until the Muleriders went up six then eight points with a Lijo-Rodriguez jumper and Kennedy Moss layup, 37-29. NWOSU did not let the grievances haunt them for long, as the Rangers closed the gap with a 7-0 stretch to end the period, 37-36.
For just over the first two minutes into the final period, the two groups countered back-and-forth with layups, followed by the Rangers tying the bout at 39-39 with a free throw. Southern Arkansas went on to score the next nine points, as the Blue and Gold made back-to-back threes, and capped the run off with a Moss jumper on an and one, as she also made the bucket from the charity stripe, 48-39. Southern Arkansas managed to keep it distance from the Rangers for the remainder of the period, as SAU went on to win 58-51 and held Northwestern Oklahoma State to the fewest points scored by the team this season.
Up Next:
Southern Arkansas heads back on the road next week, as the Muleriders will travel within the Natural State for road contests at Arkansas-Monticello on Thursday (1/22 | 5:30 PM) and at Henderson State on Saturday (1/24 | 1:00 PM).
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