Box Score MAGNOLIA, Ark. – A slow start on the road proved costly for the Lady Bulldogs in Magnolia, Ark., falling to the Lady Muleriders of Southern Arkansas 58-53 in Great American Conference play Saturday afternoon.
A dismal shooting performance in the first half saw the Lady Dawgs connect on just 24 percent of their shots from the field and the team recorded just one basket from beyond the arc in the first half on 14 attempts.
Morgan Vogt proved the most potent offensive threat in the first half, pouring in five points in six minutes of action as SWOSU went long stretches of the half without a basket.
After coming out of the locker rooms SWOSU showed improvement and found their shots.
Jessica Penner scored all seven of her points in the second half, while
Chelsea Bates also began to find her range and distributed the ball well. The Lady Dawgs took their first lead since the 18:29 mark in the first half with 14:58 left to play courtesy of a pair of
Kimmi Sawatzky free throws to go up 33-31.
SWOSU used a 13-0 run to expand their lead to 39-31 before Southern Arkansas started working their way back into it. The end of the game saw five lead changes before SAU took control of the game for good, using a 9-3 run over the final 2:48 of regulation to see out the victory.
Korina Chapman, Bates and Swatazky each finished with a team-high nine points as no SWOSU players reached double digit points. Chapman had a strong day on the boards, however, grabbing 16 rebounds in the game. Penner, who set multiple conference and GAC records the last time the two teams met, was held to just seven points on 3-7 shooting and three rebounds.
Southwestern fell to 5-11 in the GAC as a result of Saturday's loss in Arkansas. They will close out the season with a four-game home stand, starting on Thursday, Feb. 19 with a game against Arkansas-Monticello at 5:30 PM.
