SEARCY, Ark. – The Southern Arkansas University Muleriders (5-7, 2-4 GAC) fell tonight in Searcy, Arkansas to the Harding University Bisons (9-3, 5-1 GAC) by a final score of 52-66.

The Bisons broke the ice early with a layup to get the scoring under way in the contest. After a quick response from Kendal Parker in the paint with a layup to tie it, a steal by Junior led to a Chase Jenkins three as SAU took a 5-2 lead. Both teams battled for the lead until Harding 10-9 lead with 13:21 remaining in the first half.

The Muleriders did not stay down long though as they took an eight-point 25-17 lead with 6:33 remaining in the first half as Greg Moore Jr. drove the paint for a fastbreak layup. The Bisons then battled back and SAU took a 30-27 lead into halftime.

Harding came out hot in the second half, erasing the SAU lead and did not look back for the rest of the contest. SAU would continue to battle throughout the rest of the second half but fell short to the Bisons in the first game of 2026.

"We needed to put a full 40-minutes together," said Head Coach Mark Rutledge. "Harding did a great job on the glass which was something we emphasized. That's just effort. The first five minutes of the 2nd half was a turning point. We must make shots. We must rebound."

Junior Williams and Kendal Parker finished as the top two scorers for the Muleriders as they each finished with nine points in the contest. Kendal Parker and Jair Horton also finished as the top rebounders with five each.

Top Performers

Junior Williams: 9 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal

Kendal Parker: 9 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals

Jair Horton: 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal

Next Up

The Muleriders will continue their road trip this coming week as they make the trip to Oklahoma for games against Southeastern Oklahoma State (Jan. 8th) and East Central (Jan. 10th).