WEATHERFORD, Okla. — Mulerider Women's Basketball (11-15 | 7-13 GAC) has officially finished up its trips to the Sooner State, as Southern Arkansas took on the Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs for its final trip out of Arkansas this season. The Blue and Gold ended up dropping the matchup with a final score of 58-41, but not without a pair of program records being broken in the process.
Marlee Bright, a senior from Glenwood, Arkansas, has broken not one, but two program records for Mulerider Women's Basketball. Bright broke one record with another, as she tallied up 11 steals against SWOSU for a single-game steals program record. With her 11 steals, Marlee has also become the program's leader in career steals, now at 269. Bright's single-game record comes after the record has stood for over 21 years (Takela Gunn | 12/29/05), and her career record was produced after 37 years (Gail Sanders | 1984-88).
Scoring wise, the Muleriders were led by Shiloh Fletcher, as the junior accounted for a career-high 17 points after shooting 50% from the floor (7-for-14) and went 3-for-7 from beyond the arc. Not only was Bright breaking records, but she also led the Blue and Gold in rebounds again, this time with eight boards.
For the majority of the contest, the two groups had a low-scoring affair, and the first period saw just that. The Bulldogs looked as if they had control from the beginning, going up 11-2 just four and half minutes into the contest. Following that nine-point deficit, the Muleriders clawed back with a 7-2 stretch that was capped off by a Fletcher three, 13-9 after one.
The second period saw a much tighter battle, as the Muleriders brought the game back within two points on multiple occasions. With 3:24 to go in the period, Fletcher recorded a layup to pull within two, 23-21. The Bulldogs then finished up the period with a 5-1 run, staying up 28-22 at the intermission.
From the get-go, the third period belonged to SWOSU, as the unit held SAU to just five points and scored 19 of their own, going up 47-27 into the fourth period.
Southern Arkansas continued to fight back, drawing the game back to an 11-point difference after a Krista Rivers free throw, 49-38, but the Bulldogs did not allow the Blue and Gold back into the bout, as SWOSU went on a 9-3 stretch after being up 11.
Up Next
Southern Arkansas is back in the Natural State for two more regular season contests, as the Muleriders will travel to Arkadelphia, Arkansas for a match with the Ouachita Baptist Tigers (Thursday, Feb. 26) and will then cap off the 2025-26 regular season at home for Senior Day against the Arkansas Tech Golden Suns (Saturday, Feb. 28).
