ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — The final road game of the 2025-26 regular season is in the books, as the Muleriders (11-16 | 7-14 GAC) traveled to Clark County for the group's second time facing the Ouachita Baptist Tigers (13-12 | 10-11 GAC). Southern Arkansas ended up coming up short against the Tigers in a high-scoring 84-81 final.
The Blue and Gold had five players in double figures with Shiloh Fletcher leading the group for the second-straight game with 16 points. Fletcher went 5-for-8 from the field while also going 5-for-6 from the charity stripe. Another player with a solid performance was Hope Bump, as the freshman was 4-for-8 from the field and was 3-for-6 from beyond the arc with 14 points. Leading the group in assists was Marlee Bright, as she recorded five rebounds and is now three away from tying the program record for career assists (378). Bright also accounted for one steal, to bring her within three steals of her own program record for steals in a season (91).
The Muleriders started off hot with a 5-0 advantage after Kennedy Moss made a jumper followed by a Blythe Crawley three-pointer. Southern Arkansas extended its lead to as much as six points, at 15-9, but was then tied up at 15-15 after a 6-0 stretch. The Blue and Gold went on to go up before the end of the first period with a pair of Moss free throws, 17-15.
Despite the Muleriders going back up, the second period belonged to the Tigers after a back-and-forth stretch that ended with a Madeleine Tipton layup to put Ouachita up 26-25. The Tigers eventually went up 40-29 after a 14-4 run by OUA. The Muleriders tacked on two more points with Kadia Ward knocking down free throws, but to end the half, Tipton knocked down a three-pointer to go up 43-31 at the half.
Coming out of the intermission, the third period saw quite the opposite outcome from the second period. Ouachita was able to hold its lead for the first four minutes into the quarter, up until the Muleriders brought the contest within seven points with a Johnna Brockman three-pointer, with which started a comeback. The group brought the outing back within two points thanks to a made jumper by Bright. Southern Arkansas was able to tie the match at 52-52 with free throws by Fletcher, as the groups ended up knotting up at 55-55 going into the final period.
Within the first four minutes of the fourth period, the Muleriders went down by 11, but the climbed right back to eventually bring the game back within two points again at 74-72 just under three minutes to go. The Tigers jumped back out to a five-point advantage at 78-73, but the Blue and Gold came right back to tie the bout at 79-79 with under a minute to go. With 14 seconds to go, Ouachita went back up two with a Tipton jumper, 81-79. Southern Arkansas countered right back, as Fletcher laid the ball in to tie the contest at 81-81. The celebration did not last long though, as Tipton went right back down the court and recorded a layup of her own with 0.6 left while also getting fouled for the and-one. Tipton went on to make her free throw, 84-81, and after a tipped inbound pass by Ouachita, the Tigers went on to win.
Up Next:
Coming up on the Muleriders' schedule marks the final outing of the 2025-26 regular season, as Southern Arkansas will take on the Arkansas Tech Golden Suns in Magnolia on Saturday for Senior Day. Time for tip-off is set for 1:00 PM.
