Southeastern Downs Muleriders, 71-56

Box Score DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern got back in the win column and moved its conference record above .500 with a 71-56 win over Southern Arkansas on Thursday night in Bloomer Sullivan Arena.
 
The win lift the team to 14-7 overall and 7-6 in Great American Conference play heading into a Feb. 7 matchup with Henderson State at 1 p.m.
 
Emily Williams turned in her fourth 20-point performance in the last six games and her seventh on the season, finishing as the game's high scorer with 21 points.
 
In all, the Storm put four players in double figures with Rachel Wallace, Shelby Hill and Olivia Potter each adding 11 points in the effort.
 
It was a tale of two halves for the offense which shot 25.0 percent in the first half, including a 2-of-15 mark from three point range, but bounced back in the second to hit 48.2 percent from the field and 8-of-15 from long range.
 
SE dished out 18 assists as a team, led by five from Hill and three each from Williams, Wallace and Kaylie Baxter.
 
Williams just missed a double-double with nine rebounds, while Baxter also pulled down nine boards.
 
Williams' nine boards also put her over 500 rebounds for her career, becoming the ninth player to surpass 500 boards with her 506 rebound putting her in ninth place, 15 rebounds behind Jessica Hocker in eighth.
 
The Storm defense forced 16 turnovers, while the offense committed just nine for the game, and held the Muleriders to a 30.8 percent shooting effort which included a 9.1 percent mark from three point range, with SAU hitting just 2-of-22.
 
Neither team found much success in the first half as the SE defense held the Muleriders to 13.8 percent shooting from the floor and just 12 points, taking a 27-12 lead into the locker room at halftime.
 
Both teams found their offense in the second half, each scoring 44 points to maintain the 15 point margin.
 
The Storm would lead by double-digits for the entire second half, with SAU twice cutting the advantage to 10 points, the last time coming with 54 seconds to play and SE up 63-53.
 
Southeastern would go 8-of-8 at the free throw line in the final minute to hold off any chance at a late rally and fashion the final score of 71-56.