Andy Sharpe said his Southern Arkansas Muleriders must not become satisfied and believe there are still several things to improve on.
“We can’t become complacent because our league is too good. When you don’t improve or take things granted, you are going to get your butt whipped,” said the Muleriders’ head coach.
Favored to win the GAC Eastern Division, SAU will take its 3-0 mark on the road tonight to Russellville to face the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys. They will travel to Searcy Saturday to face Harding.
The Muleriders are two-games ahead of Harding (1-0) in the GAC standings, while the Wonder Boys (0-2) are still seeking their first win. Some teams have had games canceled because of COVID-19.
“We are off to a good start, but have two tough road games coming ahead. Our guys have a belief about themselves, in each other and where they are going. I am excited and glad to be their coach,” said Sharpe.
Sharpe expressed a little frustration over the Muleriders’ win over OBU last Saturday and UAM Monday night. The coach said SAU didn’t finish strong against the Tigers and the Weevils built a double-digit second half lead.
“UAM didn’t go away. They may a lot of shots and made us work every minute,” said the coach.
Against the Weevils, the lead changed hands eight times and there six ties. After leading 33-32 at half-time, UAM used an 11-0 run to start the second half and went up by 13 points.
The Muleriders battled back and trimmed the lead to three, 56-53, the eight-minute mark. The deficit was three, 67-64, with two minutes to play following a 3-pointer by Jalen Brooks.
Aaron Lucas had a steal to pull SAU to within one and Devante Brooks’ free throw tied the game at 67-67 with 54 seconds remaining. Blake Rogers nailed a jumper with 4.1 seconds left and Lucas later added a pair of free throws for the four-point win.
“We didn’t expect it to be a cake walk or anything like that. UAM took us to a place where we have been yet this year. We had our backs against the wall and I was really proud of the way we responded,” said Sharpe. “We stuck with it through some diversity.”
Lucas paced the Muleriders with 23 points and was a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe. He also knocked down three 3-pointers. Blake Rogers, who hit three long-range jumpers, added 15 points and Jalen Brooks finished with 14.
UAM, with four players in double figures, knocked down 11 3-pointers.
“We got off to a tough start to the second half. We gambled on the pass and committed some fouls. But we later found our way defensively and that made the difference,” added Sharpe. “We’ve got some things we obviously have to get better at, but I’m really proud of how we stayed with it.”
The coach said this year’s Muleriders, both those on the court and the bench, don’t care about individual things.
“All they care about is the final results and getting the win. We have some returning guys on this team who are not surprised when their backs are against the wall. I’m proud of our senior leadership,” said Sharpe.
After Saturday, SAU’s next game will be Saturday, Jan. 23, at home against Henderson State. Their Jan. 21 game at OBU has been canceled because of COVID-19 issues with the Tiger basketball program.