MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Southern Arkansas is set for more road competition in 2026, as the Muleriders (8-4 | 4-2 GAC) look to bounce back after dropping to 17^th-ranked Harding on the road 53-52 (Jan. 3) with their first trip to the Sooner State this Thursday and Saturday. SAU will first take on the Southeastern Oklahoma State Savage Storm (3-9 | 0-6 GAC) on Thursday (Jan. 11 | 5:30 PM) and East Central (5-5 | 1-5 GAC) on Saturday (Jan. 13 | 1:00 PM).
 
Series History vs SE
SAU vs. SE | 1/8 (5:30 p.m.)
39th meeting, SEOSU leads 29-9
First meeting: 3/7/1979 – SEOSU wins 58-46 (Ft. Worth, Texas)
Last meeting: 2/8/2025 – SEOSU wins 74-56 (Durant, Okla.)
 
Series History vs ECU
SAU vs. ECU | 12/10 (1:00 p.m.)
33rd meeting, ECU leads 19-13
First meeting: 11/24/1995 – ECU wins 69-57 (Durant, Okla.)
Last meeting: 2/6/2025 – SAU wins 56-52 (Ada, Okla.)
 
Broadcast Information
Thursday and Saturday's games will be broadcast live on the Southeastern Oklahoma State YouTube channel and the Ada Sports Network. The games will also be broadcast on 99.1 KVMZ with Dan Gregory calling all the action.
 
SAU Notables
>>> The Muleriders enter the weekend trip to Oklahoma after having lost their first game after going on a four-game winning streak. The group's loss was a narrow one, as the unit fell by just one point to the 17^th-ranked Lady Bisons, while holding Harding to their fewest points scored this season. In that outing, Southern Arkansas was led in scoring by Blythe Crawley with 20 points, as the freshman went 8-for-15 from the field and 4-for-7 from beyond the arc. The Muleriders were also complimented on the boards by Elena Lijo-Rodriguez and Marlee Bright, as the Spaniard recorded 11 rebounds, followed by the Glenwood, Arkansas native's nine rebounds.
 
>>> For the season, the Blue and Gold continue to be led by the usual leaders, as Blythe Crawley leads the unit in scoring (174 | 14.5 ppg), Elena Lijo-Rodriguez leads in rebounds (89 | 7.4 rpg) and blocks (20), and Marlee Bright leads in assists (50) and steals (38).
 
>>> Not only is Marlee Bright leading the way for the Muleriders in multiple statistical categories, but she is also leading the Great American Conference in assist/turnover ratio (2.63 | 5^th DII), assists, assists per game (4.2 | 43^rd DII), steals (27^th DII), and steals per game (3.17 | 24^th DII).
 
>>> On her way to etching her name into Mulerider Women's Basketball history, Elena Lijo-Rodriguez is just three blocks away from tying the program record for career blocked shots, as the senior has currently accumulated 74 blocked shots while at Southern Arkansas University. The Spaniard has already eclipsed the record for most blocks in a single season, as she accounted for 54 after last season, and has recorded 20 blocked shots thus far.
 
SEOSU Notables
>>> Southeastern Oklahoma State currently has a 3-9 record overall and is 0-6 in league play, as the group is still in search of its first Great American Conference win and its first win since November 25^th (beat Midwestern State 97-59). To start the new year back up, SEOSU traveled to Bethany, Oklahoma, and fell to the Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm 80-70.
 
>>> The Savage Storm is led in scoring by Tori Kilburn, as she has accounted for 209 points this season and averages 17.4 points per game. Right behind her, Kenzil Warden has recorded 176 points this season and averages 14.7 points per game. Warden and Kilburn are also the team's leaders for rebounds, as Warden is responsible for 74 (6.2 per game) and Kilburn has tallied 72 boards (6.0 per game). Kilburn is also leading the team in steals, as she is the only member with double-digit steals at 21.
 
ECU Notables
>>> The Tigers come into the matchup with a 5-5 overall record with a 1-5 record in Great American Conference action.  The Tigers' lone victory in conference play came against the Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm, as East Central defeated SNU 55-49 in Ada. Most recently, the Tigers fell on the road to Southwestern Oklahoma State, with a final score of 61-60.
 
>>> Leading the Tigers in scoring has been Rylie Burnett, as she has currently scored 110 points this season and averages 11.0 points per game. At the top of the rebounds chart, Katie Edelen leads with 57 boards and an average of 5.7 per game. With 14 steals, and leading the Tigers in that category, is Eva Fernandez.
 
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