WEATHERFORD, Okla. – The Southern Arkansas University Muleriders (10-16, 7-13 GAC) fell today to the Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs (11-15, 8-12 GAC) by a final score of 82-75.
 
The Bulldogs got the scoring going early taking a three-point lead just 12 seconds into the ball game. Junior Williams then responded with a layup to pull within one and the scoring was on from there. The two squads battled to the 15-minute mark in the game as a jumper by Junior Williams cut into the Bulldogs lead, 8-12. The SWOSU offense then got hot jumping out to a 10-point 28-18 lead with 10-minutes to go before the half. The Muleriders began to pull SWOSU closer as Junior Williams converted a layup with 6:18 to go before the half but SWOSU still led, 33-27. SAU continued to battle through the rest of the first half, but SWOSU held a 39-31 lead at the half.
 
SWOSU came out firing to begin the second half, but SAU hung around giving themselves a chance as Chase Jenkins converted a layup with 15:04 remaining to pull within six, 40-46. The Muleriders then shrunk the lead to three quickly as Jair Horton drained a three with 12:51 to go, 43-46. The Bulldogs tried to pull away again, but the offense was hot in the second half for SAU as Greg Moore Jr. drained a three to pull SWOSU back in, 51-48 with 9:39 remaining. The Bulldogs opened up their lead but the offense for SAU got hot yet again as Troy'reon Ramos converted a layup to make it a three-point game with 2:38 remaining, 67-70. The Muleriders kept the game close in the last two minutes of play but the SWOSU offense held just enough of a lead converting their free throws down the stretch.
 
Despite the loss, SAU outscored the Bulldogs 44-43 in the second half while shooting 63% from three and 55% from the field in the second half. In total SAU shot 50% from the field and 47% from beyond the arc.
 
"It's difficult to win on the road," said Head Coach Mark Rutledge. "Every possession matters. We must value ours. We can't start the second half with three turnovers in our first four possessions. This is no time to hand out heads. We've got some very important basketball left to play."
 
Top Performers
Troy'reon Ramos: 21 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
Junior Williams: 14 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
Chase Jenkins: 13 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Greg Moore Jr.: 11 points, 1 rebound
 
Up Next
The Muleriders will make their final road trip of the season to Arkadelphia, Arkansas for a game against Ouachita Baptist University on Thursday, February 26th at 7:30 p.m.