MAGNOLIA, Ark. — Head Coach Darrick Matthews and his Muleriders took on the 11th-ranked Harding Lady Bisons inside the W.T. Watson Center on Saturday evening (Feb. 14) for a Valentine's Day matchup. Southern Arkansas (11-13 | 7-11 GAC) and Harding (21-3 | 15-3 GAC) recorded yet another down to the wire outing, as the Lady Bisons went on to escape the Muleriders on the road with a 63-57 victory.
The Blue and Gold saw multiple strong performances with players in double-scoring figures, as freshman Blythe Crawley led the way for the Muleriders in scoring with 19 points after going 8-for-20 from the field. Johnna Brockman had herself a strong showing as well, with the sophomore scoring 12 points and having 11 rebounds, for her first-career double-double. Another Muleriders to account for double-digits was freshman Kennedy Moss, as she recorded 11 points
SAU came out sharp, jumping on the Lady Bisons with an early 6-2 lead, before Harding answered with a three, for a 6-5 score. The Muleriders then responded with big time run that began with a shot made from deep by Crawley, back-to-back three-pointers by Hope Bump, and a made jumper by Marlee Bright to cap of the 11-0 run, with SAU leading 17-5 early. The Muleriders were able to maintain the 12-point lead heading into the second period, 19-7.
Right after HU cut the lead back to ten, 19-9, Elena Lijo-Rodriguez had a good jumper to go back up 12, 21-9. After that, the Lady Bisons began stampeding their way back into contest, as Harding went on a 9-0 run to claw back within three, 21-18. SAU was able to break the stretch with a Brockman free throw, 22-18. Harding would tie the bout nearly three minutes later with a layup to tie at 25-all. That would be all the scoring for the Lady Bisons in the first half though, as Moss tacked on two free throws and Crawley added a layup, SAU up 29-25.
Harding started the second half with a three to get back with one, but found itself back down four after a Crawley made jumper and three-pointer, 34-30. After the two units traded free throws, the Lady Bisons had finally grabbed the lead with a jumper and three-pointer made, 37-36. Crawley briefly reclaimed the lead with a jumper, but HU quickly gained back the lead with two more free throws. To cap off the period, Harding went on a 7-2 stretch, Lady Bisons up 46-40 heading into the fourth.
The Lady Bisons gained its largest lead of the day, with a seven-point advantage up 49-42, but SAU continued to fight in the battle, as the Muleriders eventually brought the game back within one thanks to a Bump layup, 56-55. Harding was able to answer and begin its escape of the Blue and Gold with a three-pointer to go back up four, 59-55. SAU was only able to add one more layup by Brockman, while the Lady Bisons extended their lead back to six for the 63-57 final.
Up Next:
The Muleriders are back on the road to the Sooner State for one final stint in Oklahoma, as Southern Arkansas will take on Northwestern Oklahoma State and Southwestern Oklahoma State next Thursday and Saturday.
