MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Mulerider Women's Basketball (10-12 | 6-10 GAC) is back inside the W.T. Watson Center, as the Blue and Gold will host the Arkansas-Monticello Cotton Blossoms on Thursday and the 11th-ranked Harding Lady Bisons on Saturday.  

Series History vs. UAM 

SAU vs. UAM | 2/12 (5:30 PM) 

89th meeting, UAM leads 52-36 

First meeting: 11/18/1976 – UAM won 75-65 

Last meeting: 1/22/2026 – SAU won 77-75 (2OT) 

Series History vs. HU 

SAU vs. HU | 2/14 (3:00 PM) 

81st meeting, HU leads 59-21 

First meeting: 12/14/1984 – SAU won 68-57 

Last meeting: 1/3/2026 – HU won 53-52 

Broadcast Information 
Thursday and Saturday's games will be broadcast on the Southern Arkansas University Hudl Fan page and on 99.1 KVMZ with Dan Gregory calling all the action. 

SAU Notables 

>>> Southern Arkansas looks for a bounce back in a major way, as the Muleriders are currently on a five-game losing stretch. Most recently, SAU comes off a contest in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, in which the Muleriders dropped to the Henderson State Reddies with a final score of 66-64. Currently, the Muleriders aim to lift themselves back up, as the group sits at 11th in the GAC prior to Oklahoma programs making up their postponed contest due to the icy weather a few weeks back.  

>>> Despite fouling out in the third period of the last game, freshman guard Blythe Crawley continues to lead the Muleriders in scoring, with 265 points this season and an average of 12.0 per game. Having led the Blue and Gold in scoring for three of the last four games is Kennedy Moss. The freshman against Henderson State accounted for 15 points.  

>>> Elena Lijo-Rodriguez still leads the Muleriders in rebounds with 146 boards (6.6 per game), but not far behind the senior is Kadia Ward with 130 rebounds so far (5.9 per game). Creeping up on both in the statistical category is senior guard Marlee Bright, as the Natural State native has recorded 118 boards and averages 5.4 per game. Bright has led Southern Arkansas in rebounds in two of the last three outings, both of those games with eight rebounds.  

UAM Notables 

>>> Arkansas-Monticello seeks its own turnaround late in the season, as the Cotton Blossoms sit at 1-15 in the Great American Conference and are currently on a six-game losing streak. Most recently, UAM had its make-up game at Arkansas Tech, as the Cotton Blossoms fell 75-69. The last time the Muleriders and Cotton Blossoms faced one another, Southern Arkansas came out on top in double overtime, with the Blue and Gold escaping Monticello with a 77-75 final.  

>>> UAM has two big-time scorers that average 10.0+ a game, as Alyssa Batton leads the team with 288 points and averages 13.1 per game. Alindsey Long is close to second for the Cotton Blossoms in scoring, as she has recorded 274 points this season and averages 12.5 per game.  

>>> Leading the group in boards is Brilynn Findley, as she has accounted for 103 boards and averages 4.7 per game. 

HU Notables 

>>> Since the Lady Bisons defeated the Muleriders 53-52 in Searcy, Arkansas at the beginning of January, Harding has been on a heater, only losing one game out of its ten since facing SAU. The Lady Bisons are currently on a five-game winner, following the defeating of Ouachita Baptist 94-77. As of now, the Lady Bisons are 13-3 in GAC action, and sit at the top of league standings.  

>>> For scoring, the 11th-ranked Lady Bisons have five members with 200+ points this season, in which all five average double-digit scoring. Leading that way for Harding is Josie Williams, as the junior has tallied up 281 points and averages 12.8 per game.  

>>> Williams is also second on the team in rebounding, as she has accumulated 120 boards this season, with an average of 5.5 per game. Leading the Lady Bisons' rebounding efforts has Kennedy Stout, with the local of Melissa, Texas having recorded 137 boards and 6.2 per game.  

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