Sports
Mulerider men prepped for battle at Henderson State
MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Mulerider Men’s Hoops run it back for one final contest before the Christmas break as the Blue and Gold are prepped for its Arkadelphia finale where they will take on the Henderson State Reddies. Southern Arkansas has been victors of four straight against the group from the west side of the road in Arkadelphia, but by no means has it been an onslaught of the Reddies with the last two meetings being decided by one point.
If you witnessed last year’s battle between the Muleriders and the Reddies, you were given a true treat as Southern Arkansas entered the intermission down 23-37 to its visitors in the 2023-24 Great American Conference opener. The Blue and Gold saw what one could say was a “magical” turnaround in the second half as the Muleriders outscored the Reddies 44-29 in the second half to win the outing 67-66. Southern Arkansas was shockingly assisted in the second half by Jessie Davis Jr. who had just recently returned to the court.
Henderson State has gotten off to a solid start in conference play as the group is 3-1 in the GAC and has only lost to a 7-3 Harding group is also 3-1 in league play. The Reddies’ first pair of wins in week one of GAC competition came in Durant and Ada, Oklahoma where HSU defeated Southeastern Oklahoma 74-71 and East Central 67-58. To begin Natural State contests, Henderson State traveled to Russellville where they overcame Arkansas Tech 75-61.
Head Coach Mark Rutledge heads into the Duke Wells Center, which he is more than familiar with as he was the Reddies’ associate head coach just three seasons ago. This battle with his former group will be the first time Rutledge enters the Duke Wells Center since departing HSU in 2022 for Angelo State.
Southern Arkansas experienced quite an exciting week in the second wave of GAC play as the Muleriders ventured to Arkadelphia, Arkansas for their first contest with Ouachita Baptist on Thursday night. In the game, SAU held a lead by as much as 12 points but would go into overtime against the Tigers after an OUA comeback. In overtime, Ouachita looked to have all the momentum after the unit had returned to life late in the second half. The Blue and Gold was not done though as the Muleriders kept with the Tigers. A last-second three-pointer, down two, by Kris Cook was the nail in the coffin for SAU to claim its first Great American Conference victory of the season, winning 95-94.
On Saturday, the Muleriders sought to advance Arkansas Tech’s losing streak to six consecutive games, but the Wonder Boys handled Southern Arkansas at home with a 59-64 final.
SAU leads the conference in statistical categories such as blocks per game (3.3), offensive rebounds per game (14.10 | 19th nationally), and three-point attempts per game (28.7).
A couple of Muleriders had their best game so far this season last Thursday at Ouachita Baptist. Those two were Christian Caldwell and BJ Davis as both members of the unit accounted for 25+ points with Caldwell leading the team in scoring with 29 points against the Tigers after he shot 9-14 from the field and 11-17 from the charity stripe. The senior from Nacogdoches, Louisiana also recorded a double-double with 12 rebounds along with a pair of steals. Davis, the Nashville, Tennessee native, logged a season-high 28 points after shooting 10-15 overall, 5-8 from three, and 3-4 for free throws.
Davis continues to lead the team in scoring with 145 points thus far. The senior has proven he is dangerous from three-point range as he is second in the league for three-point attempts with 69 shots. Davis is fourth in the conference for his percentage from that range as he is making 39.1% from beyond the arc.
Southern Arkansas will face Henderson State inside the Duke Wells Center on Thursday at 7:30 PM with live links to streaming and live stats available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com/coverage.
FAYETTEVILLE – The Arkansas Razorbacks (11-4, 0-2 SEC) remain winless in conference play after a tough 73-66 loss to No. 23 Ole Miss (13-2, 2-0 SEC) on Wednesday night. Despite a strong start and home-court advantage, Arkansas couldn’t hold off the Rebels, who surged ahead in the second half to secure the win.
The Razorbacks opened with a commanding 10-5 lead, setting the tone for a competitive first half. Arkansas led for most of the period until Ole Miss tied the game at 36-36 on a Sean Pedulla three-pointer with just 31 seconds remaining in the half. That shot marked a pivotal moment, as it was the last time Arkansas held a lead in the game.
Coming out of halftime, Matthew Murrell’s layup gave Ole Miss an early advantage in the second half. Although Arkansas guard Boogie Fland quickly answered with a jump shot to tie the game at 38-38, the Rebels responded with a three-pointer from Davon Barnes, putting them ahead for good.
Ole Miss extended its lead in the final moments, with D.J. Wagner’s layup bringing the score to 72-64 with just 21 seconds remaining. Arkansas managed to close the gap slightly, but the Razorbacks couldn’t convert critical opportunities, leaving them with another SEC loss.
For Arkansas, the loss highlights the challenges of conference play and the need for resilience as they seek their first SEC win under legendary coach John Calipari. The Razorbacks will look to regroup and capitalize on their next opportunity to break into the conference win column.
Who: rv/rv Arkansas Razorbacks (11-3, 0-1 SEC) vs #23/22 Ole Miss Rebels (12-2, 1-0 SEC)
What: Arkansas plays its 2025 SEC home opener.
When: Wednesday – Jan. 8 – 6:00 pm (CT)
Where: Fayetteville, Ark. • Bud Walton Arena/Nolan Richardson Court (19,200)
How (to follow):
– TV/Stream: ESPN2 / Watch ESPN (Tom Hart and Dane Bradshaw)
– Radio: Learfield Razorback Sports Network (Chuck Barrett and Matt Zimmerman)
– Sirius/XM: Sirius: 132 / XM: 191 || SXM App Channel 961
– Arkansas Gameday App
– Live Stats
– Arkansas Game Notes
– Ole Miss Game Notes
– SEC Notes/Stats
FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas will host #23/22 Ole Miss on Wednesday (Jan. 8) for the Razorbacks’ 2025 SEC home opener. Tipoff is set for 6 pm (CT) and the game will be televised on ESPN2.
Later this week, Arkansas stays in Fayetteville to host #8 Florida on Saturday (Jan. 11). Tipoff is set for 3 pm.
NOTES:
Versus Ole Miss
- This will be the 87th meeting between Arkansas and Ole Miss. Arkansas owns a 52-34 advantage all-time in the series thanks to an 18-11 mark in games played in Fayetteville and a 24-2 advantage in neutral-site games.
- Since Arkansas joined the SEC, the Razorback lead in the series is just 30-28 as the Hogs have won 9 of the last 12 in the series.
- Ole Miss won the last meeting, 77-51, on Jan. 24, 2024, in Oxford. Arkansas was short-handed in the loss as it was without leading scorer – Tramon Mark (migraine) – for the game and leading rebounder – Trevon Brazile (knee soreness) – missed the second half. Arkansas got off to a slow start with eight turnovers in the first nine minutes but only committed two the rest of the first half and ended with 14 for the game. Ole Miss outscored the Hogs 17-2 on points off turnovers and raced out to a 24-9 lead. However, Arkansas answered with a 14-5 run to cut its deficit to six (29-23) with 4:08 left in the first half. Ole Miss led 38-26 at the break and put the game away midway through the second half with an 8-0 run to go up 63-43 and held at least a 20-point cushion the rest of the way.
Arkansas in SEC Home Openers
- Arkansas will play its first SEC home game Wednesday by hosting Ole Miss.
- The Razorbacks are 20-13 all-time in SEC home openers.
- Arkansas is 4-4 when Ole Miss is the first home SEC game.
Razorbacks Are Pretty Good Shooting Overall
- Arkansas ranks 9th in the NCAA (2nd in the SEC) in overall field goal percentage at 50.7% while ranking 19th in the NCAA (3rd SEC) in effective FG% (57.3%).
Less of a Threat
- Arkansas is holding its opponents to 29.6% shooting from 3-point range. As good as that sounds, it ranks only 9th in the SEC but does rank 53rd in the NCAA.
Block Party
- Arkansas has blocked at least five shots nine times this season and ranks 5th nationally in blocked shots, averaging 6.0 per game.
For more information on Arkansas Men’s Basketball, follow @RazorbackMBB on X.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – In their SEC opener, top-ranked Tennessee leveraged its rebounding prowess and perimeter shooting to defeat #23 Arkansas 76-52 on Saturday afternoon at Thompson-Boling Arena. The Volunteers out-rebounded the Razorbacks 51-29 and converted 10-of-26 three-point attempts to maintain their top-ranking status. Chaz Lanier led the charge for Tennessee, scoring 29 points, including five three-pointers, while Igor Milicic Jr. contributed a double-double with 13 points and an impressive 18 rebounds.
Despite Arkansas shooting 38% from the field and delivering a strong defensive showing with 10 blocked shots, the Razorbacks struggled on the boards, conceding 24 offensive rebounds to Tennessee. The Volunteers’ ability to capitalize on second-chance opportunities proved critical, as they recorded 18 assists on their 28 made baskets compared to Arkansas’ nine assists on 20 field goals. The game marked Arkansas’ first time losing the second half this season, as Tennessee extended its lead after halftime to secure the win.
In the first half, Arkansas held an early 12-9 lead before Tennessee’s 14-2 run shifted the momentum. The Razorbacks faced scoring droughts and struggled from the free-throw line, going just 3-of-8 compared to Tennessee’s 7-of-8. Tennessee dominated the boards, out-rebounding Arkansas 27-12 in the first half, and entered the break with a 42-27 lead. Chaz Lanier scored 14 of his game-high 29 points in the opening period, while D.J. Wagner led Arkansas with eight points, contributing to his season-high 17-point performance.
The second half saw both teams struggle offensively, with Tennessee shooting 37.5% and Arkansas 34.5% from the field. However, the Volunteers continued to excel from beyond the arc, making 5-of-12 three-pointers compared to Arkansas’ 2-of-17. Tennessee’s lead never dipped below 13 points, thanks to timely three-pointers and contributions from Lanier, who added 15 points in the second half. Jonas Aidoo also made an impact in the period, recording all five of his rebounds and four points.
The loss drops Arkansas to 10-4 overall and 0-1 in SEC play, while Tennessee improves to 14-0 and 1-0 in the conference. The Razorbacks will look to bounce back as they return to Bud Walton Arena for a two-game homestand starting with Ole Miss on Wednesday, January 8, at 6 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN2, offering Arkansas a chance to regroup and refocus after a challenging start to conference play.
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