No one ever said that making history was easy.
And that was certainly the case for Andy Sharpe’s Muleriders on Saturday afternoon inside the W.T. Watson Center.
It took forty minutes and then an extra five for Southern Arkansas to dismiss Harding in the regular season finale.
The Muleriders claimed a 78-72 overtime win and a share of the Great American Conference Eastern Division crown and will carry the East’s No. 2 seed into March’s league tournament.
Southern Arkansas will host the winner of Northwestern Oklahoma State and East Central on Wednesday, March 3. Tip-off from inside the W.T. Watson Center is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Saturday’s hard earned victory gives the Mulerider Men’s Basketball program its first share of a conference crown since Monroe Ingram’s 1989-90 ‘Riders claimed the AIC Championship outright.
Southern Arkansas led 32-29 after the opening twenty minutes of play. The Muleriders’ largest lead of the first half was 14 points at 22-8 and came at the 8:26 mark after junior guard Victory Irhirhi knocked down one of his three successful triple tries on the afternoon. The Bisons answered that trifecta with a 14-2 run that brought the visitors to within a basket of tying the contest at 24.
The three-point advantage at the intermission would grow to as much as eight through the second half’s first six minutes as Irhirhi again hit a triple try putting SAU on top 40-32 with 13:50 to play in regulation. With under eight minutes to play in the second half, the Muleriders benefitted from a pair of key three-pointers by junior guard Tyler Garrett that kept the Bisons at bay.
Preceding Garrett’s makes from beyond-the-arc were a pair of inside buckets by sophomore forward Jessie Davis Jr. that helped keep the Muleriders out front by two possessions.
By the 3:41 mark of the second half, Harding managed to tie the game at 53, before junior combo Jalen Brooks sank one of two free throws and then followed that up with a three-point make to give SAU a 57-54 lead with 2:55 to play. However, the Bisons would not go away easy as HU’s Romio Harvey tied the game at 58 with 50 seconds remaining. J. Brooks scored inside in the final thirty seconds and the Bisons’ Stetson Smithson converted an inside bucket in the final 15 seconds to force an overtime period.
It was all Southern Arkansas in the extra five minutes as senior guard Aaron Lucas assisted classmate forward Devante Brooks on a jumper ten seconds in to break the 60-60 tie. Junior guard Blake Rogers then assisted J. Brooks on layup 24 seconds later that pushed SAU out front 64-60. D. Brooks rattled the rim as he slammed home a bucket with 3:43 to play as part of a 7-0 run to start the overtime period. The Bisons would manage to cut the deficit to just three points with 1:39 left but consecutive three-point makes from J. Brooks and Irhirhi sent the socially-distanced Watson Center into a frenzy and put SAU up nine.
The finishing touches on a moment 31 years in the making came in the final seconds as D. Brooks delivered an outlet pass to Irhirhi who finished at the rim with a strong right hand to cap an eventful 45 minutes of action inside the W.T. Watson Center.
Four Muleriders finished with double figure scoring. Lucas and J. Brooks each scored 16 points. Lucas recorded nine assists, six rebounds, and a steal, while D. Brooks grabbed eight rebounds with four steals and three assists. D. Brooks registered the 28th double-double of his career with 11 points and 14 rebounds and Irhirhi scored 11 points as well.
SAU outplayed Harding inside as the Muleriders edged their opponent 28-22 in paint points and 49-42 in rebounding with 17 coming on the offensive glass. The Muleriders shot 38.6% from the floor and made 30% of their three-point attempts with six of those makes coming in the final 25 minutes and in pivotal moments of the contest. It was the first time this season that the Muleriders attempted at least 30 three-pointers.
The Bisons never led but tied the game three times in the final 3:41 of regulation. Immediately after each tied score, SAU answered with a go ahead shot.