MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Coming off a much-needed 58-51 victory against the then 19^th-ranked Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers (13-3 | 8-2 GAC), the Muleriders (9-7 | 5-5 GAC) are back in action on the road in the Natural State. Southern Arkansas has shifted its focus to the Arkansas-Monticello Cotton Blossoms (6-10 | 1-9 GAC) and the Henderson State Reddies (11-3 | 7-3 GAC). The Muleriders' contest against Arkansas-Monticello will take place on Thursday (Jan. 22) as scheduled, but due to inclement weather in the area, Southern Arkansas' road contest at Henderson State has been shifted to Monday (Jan. 26) and will continue to start at 1:00 PM.

Series History vs UAM
SAU vs. UAM | 1/22 (5:30 p.m.)
88th meeting, UAM leads 52-35
First meeting: 11/18/1976 – UAM wins 75-65 (Monticello, Ark.)
Last meeting: 2/13/2025 – SAU wins 72-62 (Monticello, Ark.)

Series History vs HSU
SAU vs. HSU | 1/26 (1:00 p.m.)
88th meeting, HSU leads 53-34
First meeting: 11/22/1976 – SAU wins 81-68 (Magnolia, Ark.)
Last meeting: 12/18/2025 – SAU wins 64-61 (Magnolia, Ark.)
 
Broadcast Information
Thursday's game against UAM will be broadcast live on the UAM Sports YouTube channel, while the game against Henderson State will be broadcast live on the Reddie Athletics YouTube channel. Both games will also be broadcast live on KVMZ 99.1 FM with Dan Gregory calling all the action.
 
SAU Notables
>>> Southern Arkansas has recovered in a major way after defeating the then 19^th-ranked NWOSU Rangers, and now looks to carry the momentum on the road. In the last week, the Muleriders split their games with an overtime loss to Southwestern Oklahoma State and then their win over the Rangers.

>>> The unit's leader in scoring continues to be Blythe Crawley, as the freshman has accounted for 216 points this season and averages 13.5 per contest. Crawley also continues to lead SAU in three-pointers made, as she has recorded 35 this campaign and shoots 35% from beyond the arc. While she leads the team in three-pointers made, the group's most-efficient shooter from deep has been Hope Bump with a 39.1% three-point percentage (27-69). Sticking with offense, senior Marlee Bright largely leads the Blue and Gold in assists, as she has orchestrated the Mulerider offense with her 66 assists this season.
 
>>> Having an impressive season all over the boards is Elena Lijo-Rodriguez. The senior from A Coruna, Spain, leads the Muleriders in both rebounds and blocks. Lijo-Rodriguez has accounted for 107 boards with an average of 6.7 rebounds per game. She has also racked up 29 blocks on the year after just tallying her season-high of five blocks against NWOSU. Still with defense, leading the team in steals has been Bright, as the senior from Glenwood, Arkansas, has accounted for 55 pickpockets.
 
UAM Notables
>>> The Cotton Blossoms are led in scoring by Alindsey Long with the senior's 222 points. Long averages 13.9 points per game and leads the unit in field goals (84-210) and three-pointers (33-103) made. Just ten points behind Long at 212 this season is Alyssa Batton with a 13.3 average per game. Batton is also second in field goals and three-pointers made, but leads the team in percentages with a 41.1 field goal percentage and a 33.9 three-point percentage. She has also recorded the most free throws made for the Cotton Blossoms this season with 54.
 
>>> UAM on the boards is led by Brilynn Findley, who has accumulated 73 rebounds so far and averages 4.6 per game. Findley also leads the team in steals with 24.
 
>>> Arkansas-Monticello offensively ranks 12^th in the league, averaging 58.9 points per game, while the Cotton Blossom defense is in the top half of the conference at fifth with an average of 63 points allowed per game.
 
HSU Notables
>>> The Muleriders and the Reddies matchup for the second time this season, as Southern Arkansas got the best of Henderson State in Magnolia last time out. Since that matchup, much has changed in the GAC standings, as HSU has risen to being the outright fourth-place team (behind three teams tied for first) with a 7-3 record, and the Muleriders at 5-5 and tied for sixth.
 
>>> Leading the way in scoring for the Reddies is Natalie Cardenas, as she has recorded 277 points this season with 19.8 per game, and is in the top four in the league for scoring. While she has been impressive this season with field goals and three-pointers, Cardenas has particularly stood out at the charity stripe, with the second-most free throws made in the GAC (76 | 32^nd DII) and the most attempted in the GAC (93 | 42^nd DII).
 
>>> Another reason for the Reddies' success this season has been Grayson Fairless. The senior has been phenomenal at rebounding the ball this season, as Fairless has accounted for the most rebounds this season in the GAC (168 | 14^th DII) and leads the league in offensive rebounds per game (5.1 | 4^th DII), defensive rebounds per game (6.9 | 29^th DII), and total rebounds per game (12.0 | 3^rd DII).
 
>>> Surpassing Crawley with the most three-pointers in the GAC, HSU's Brynlee Huggins has recorded 36 this season, and leads the league in three-point percentage (41.4% | 16^th DII) as well as three-pointers per game (2.57 | 23^rd DII).
 
>>> The Reddies currently rank as the second-best offense in the Great American Conference, averaging 75.7 points per game, while having the seventh-best defense in the league with an average of 66.7 points allowed per game.
 
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