Muleriders set new single-game scoring record; reach century mark for third straight game
SAU Athletics
Jacob Pumphrey
MAGNOLIA – For the third consecutive game, Southern Arkansas reached the century mark in scoring and on Tuesday evening inside the W.T. Watson Center it was the 109th shot attempt from the Muleriders that broke the single-game scoring record as sophomore guard Jenae Jennings drove inside the paint for the final bucket at the horn as SAU topped Champion Christian 115-65 in the former’s final nonconference game of the season.
The Muleriders (7-2) have now scored 100+ points in four games this season after having eclipsed triple digits in scoring just six times since 1995-96 entering this season. The new single-game scoring mark of 115 tops the 114-point output against Wiley College during the 1997-98 season. SAU scored 22 first-quarter points, opened up the contest with 37 points before the intermission and finished with 56 points in the second half.
Fourteen Muleriders played in the blowout win with five scoring in double figures and bench players accounting for 82 points. Junior guard Jessica Jones led SAU with 15 points and finished a rebound shy of a double-double, while adding four assists and a steal. Sophomore guard Braydyn Hill followed with a dozen points as she made all five of her attempts from the field to go along with three assists and three steals.
Three players scored 11 points as junior guard Kenzie Ezekiel, senior forward Maggie Evans, and junior forward Doriana Brown rounded out scoring. Evans added nine rebounds, six steals and two assists. Brown recorded five rebounds, two assists and a steal. Senior forward Lillie Moore registered 16 rebounds and was a basket shy of a double-double.
SAU grabbed a single-game program record 80 rebounds which included 37 on the offensive end of the floor. The team’s 42 field goals made are the third-most in a single game. The Muleriders forced 33 turnovers which led to 33 points and collected 24 steals (T5th most in single game).
Champion Christian scored the game’s first seven points, before the Muleriders ended the opening ten minutes on a 22-7 run. SAU took its final lead at 8-7, and while the Tigers tied the game at 10, the Muleriders would not allow the visitors to regain the lead. Southern Arkansas shot a quarter-best 43.3% in the second ten minutes which included a 41% success rate from beyond-the-arc in the same time period.
Southern Arkansas faces one more test before the Christmas holiday. The Muleriders hit the road on Saturday for a 1 p.m. tipoff in Russellville against Arkansas Tech. Live coverage links for all of the action inside Tucker Coliseum are available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.