Free throws, turnovers, no treys limit Southern Arkansas

Wess Moore

7 months ago

A lackluster night at the free throw line, 23 turnovers, and not a single three-pointer did in Southern Arkansas as the Muleriders (5-5) were handed a 54-48 defeat by William Carey Tuesday at Clinton Gymnasium.

It was SAU's second loss this season to the Crusaders (7-1).

Besides the free throws, Southern Arkansas came up empty on six attempts beyond the arc. The last time a Mulerider team didn't hit a three-pointer in a game was February 4, 1995 in a 95-57 win over Williams Baptist in Walnut Ridge. Those 95 points were a surprisingly high point total without a trey, as SAU had 37 two-point field goals and 21 free throws.

Against William Carey, Southern Arkansas clanked just 10 of 23 free throws for 43.5 percent, most misses coming on a first attempt. The game saw eight ties and 10 lead changes, with neither team wanting to win it on freebies, as the Crusaders were also horrible at the line, hitting only 11 of 26 (42.3).

Six-point leads were the most by either club, with the Muleriders holding them twice early in the second half following a 22-19 advantage at the break. But Chris Cyprian nailed the first of two consecutive three-pointers with 8:05 left to give William Carey the lead for good at 41-39. SAU drew within 48-47 on junior Justin Stuart's (Hope) jumper at 2:10, but the Crusaders held on for the win.

Neither team shot well period Tuesday, William Carey hitting 20 of 51 overall (39.2), including only 3 of 11 (27.3) on treys. Southern Arkansas finished 19 of 50 (38.0) for the game.

The Muleriders did collect a 38-34 rebound advantage, but the Crusaders recorded 26 points off SAU's 23 turnovers.

Sophomore guard Chase Spruiell (Princeton, Texas) was a bright spot for Southern Arkansas, sharing game-high honors with 17 points. He added six rebounds, two assists, one steal and a blocked shot, all in 33 minutes off the bench.

Stuart scored 12 points, senior guard Tony James (Bossier City, La.) chipped in 10, and sophomore center Reggie Rasmus (Missouri City, Texas) pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds.

William Carey got 17 points from Marcus Spann and 14 from Cyprian. Cory Smith had seven boards.

The Muleriders close out December with two more games on the road, traveling Saturday to Carrollton, Ga. for a 2:30 p.m. tip-off with West Georgia, and then facing West Alabama Monday at 4 p.m. in Livingston.