MAGNOLIA, Ark. – After 20 minutes of play, Southeastern Oklahoma State and Southern Arkansas were tied 36-36, but cold shooting in the second half by SE allowed the Muleriders to pull away 80-62.
SE ended the game, shooting 38.2 percent from the field and 25.0 percent from beyond the arc with five triples. The Savage Storm's struggles came in the second half after being outscored 44-to-26 and converting 36.0 percent from the field compared to the Muleriders, who shot 54.5 percent.
Landon Condiff led the scoring for Southeastern with 16 points on 4-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc, while
Robert Briley chipped in 14 points and six rebounds.
Elijah Hughey tallied nine points and six boards, and
Daniel Halldorsson and
Ethan Wilkerson combined for 12 points.
A slow start by the Storm saw them trailing 6-0 in the first two minutes and quickly fell behind 20-9 to the Muleriders, who were red-hot from the three-point line with four triples across four minutes of play. Southeastern began to find some rhythm behind two three-pointers by Condiff and a three-point play by Dill to cut the gap to 28-20.
Another layup by Dill and a third triple from Condiff extended the Storm's scoring run to 11-0, as SE continued to real in the Muleriders with the gap down to three, 28-25. Briley had the hot hand next, providing Southeastern with its next four points during a 7-0 burst to tie the game 34-all. The two sides would trade a pair of baskets in the final minute and a half to knot the score 36-36 at the halftime break.
Southeastern hit a pair of baskets at the start of the half, including a three-pointer by Halldorsson to give the Storm their first lead of the game at 41-38. From there, the two sides traded leads, and the score would be tied again after a Wilkerson layup. SAU surged back ahead on a 10-0 run across three minutes to make it 55-45.
The Storm cut the gap down to six after a pair of baskets from Halldorsson and
Mihailo Stijovic and a three-pointer by Condiff. However, the Muleriders replied with another burst of points to stretch their advantage to 67-54. Briley tallied the next six points for the blue and gold, but the SAU lead would prove too much, as the Muleriders closed out the game 80-62.
Southeastern (3-10, 1-6) remains on the road for a Saturday showdown with Arkansas-Monticello at 3 p.m. in the Steeleman Fieldhouse.
