MAGNOLIA, Ark. — Mulerider Women's Basketball (10-10 | 6-8 GAC) reentered the W.T. Watson Center for Community Night, as the home court of the Blue and Gold brought a raucous crowd to compete against the visiting East Central Tigers (10-8 | 6-8 GAC). In a back-and-forth outing, East Central came in and left Magnolia with a 60-57 win over the Muleriders. With the loss, SAU is now tied for seventh in the Great American Conference at 6-8. SAU is tied with East Central, Oklahoma Baptist, and Southeastern Oklahoma State. 

The brightest highlight for the Muleriders ended up being Marlee Bright, as the senior recorded a career-high 19 points with eight rebounds, six assists, and two steals. Bright went on to make 7-of-10 from the field while also leading the team in free throws, going 5-for-8. Other Muleriders to record double-digit nights included Blythe Crawley (11) and Kadia Ward (10). 

Southern Arkansas started off hot with a 19 point first period, while allowing just 11 to ECU. SAU began with a 3-0 lead after Ward nailed a three-pointer to set a tone. The Tigers countered with a jumper from beneath the arc, 3-2, before Crawley nailed a three ball to go up 6-2. The Muleriders eventually extended their lead to seven points, going up 12-5, but was followed by a Tiger three-pointer and free throw, 12-9. For the remainder of the period, ECU scored just two more points while the Blue and Gold tallied seven more, 19-11.

The second period saw the two groups knot each other up at nine apiece, but got started with the Tigers outscoring the Muleriders 9-1, tying the ballgame at 20-20 with 3:36 to go in the half. Southern Arkansas did not take kindly to ECU's scoring run, as the group went on an 8-0 stretch, going up 28-20 at the break. 

The Muleriders started right where they left off in the first half, outscoring the Tigers 7-3 and going up 35-23. After a layup from both teams, East Central scored the next 10 points, bringing the game back within two at 37-35. The Muleriders went back up four points with an Elena Lijo-Rodriguez layup, but saw its lead cut to one with an ECU three ball. To end the period, Southern Arkansas outscored East Central 5-2, going up 44-40 heading into the final period. 

While the Blue and Gold scored first in the fourth, 46-40, the Tigers scored the next nine to go up 49-46. The Muleriders brought it back with one a pair of times, 51-50, but the Tigers scored six unanswered to follow, 57-50. ECU was able to hold its seven-point lead while the two went back-and-forth, until the Muleriders gained on the Tigers to bring the game within three with under 30 seconds to go. ECU was able to wind the clock down, but not until the Tigers turned the ball over with a shot clock violation. With the Muleriders having 2.3 seconds to get a shot off after a timeout, SAU missed the tying three-pointer, falling 60-57. 

Up Next:

Southern Arkansas is still set for another home outing this Saturday, as the Muleriders will take on the Southeastern Oklahoma State Savage Storm for a 1:00 PM tip-off. 

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