SE Pulls Away in Second Half at SAU

MAGNOLIA, Ark., Okla. – Southeastern used an explosive third quarter to run away with a 72-54 victory over Southern Arkansas in Magnolia, Ark., on Saturday afternoon, stretching its winning streak to four games.
 
The Savage Storm improve to 8-11 overall on the year and 6-7 in Great American Conference play and will be back in action Feb. 4 when they return home to host Ouachita Baptist at 5:30 p.m.
 
The win also moves SE into a three-way tie for seventh place in the GAC standings alongside Arkansas-Monticello and East Central.
 
The teams both struggled shooting in the first half, with the Muleriders taking the first quarter 13-9 before Southeastern flipped that in the second quarter to go to the halftime break tied 22-22.
 
SAU took the lead early in the third quarter, but an Emem David layup would knot the score at 26-26 with 7:13 to go in the quarter.
 
The home team would briefly take the lead again on a jumper before a Taylor Richards jumper tied the game at the 6:38 mark and opened up a 23-6 run that featured a pair of Rachel Wallace threes and another by Kaylie Baxter to open up a 49-34 lead with 2:07 to go in the quarter.
 
SAU would get a three, but Richards would answer with a pair of free throws and on the following possession would draw a foul followed by a Mulerider technical foul which sent her to the line where she sank four-straight free throws.
 
She would make two more on SE's next possession to make the lead 57-37 with 33 seconds to go in the quarter, with the Storm settling on a 59-40 lead heading into the final 10 minutes.
 
In all over the third quarter the Storm outscored SAU 37-18.
 
The lead grew as large as 23 points in the fourth quarter before the Muleriders finished with the game's final two buckets to fashion the final score of 72-54.
 
Richards finished with 16 points on the strength of a 10-for-10 effort at the free throw line matching her season best which is also the conference high-mark for the season.
 
Wallace added 14 in the effort on 5-of-8 shooting with a pair of threes, while David finished with 12 by going 5-of-6 from the floor.
 
Shelby Hill rounded out four double-digit scorers by chipping in 10 thanks to a 3-for-5 day shooting, all from behind the arc.
 
Baxter just missed double-figures, finishing with eight.
 
Richards handed out a game-high five assists to lead the Storm to 13 as a team with Wallace and Baxter adding three each.
 
Defensively Baxter and David led the way on the glass with seven rebounds each while the teams matched each other at 41-41 on the boards.