WEATHERFORD – SWOSU Men's Basketball got back on the right track with a gritty 82-75 win over Southern Arkansas on Saturday afternoon to split the season series with the Muleriders.

The Dawgs now sits at 11-15 overall and 8-12 in conference play, tied for sixth in the GAC race with Northwestern with just two games remaining.

The Dawgs' outside shooting was the story of the first half, as their first five made shots came from deep, three of which were from Tobias Roland. Eight three-pointers were knocked down in the opening 10 minutes to help build a 28-18 lead before the midway point of the first half. Of the first 10 made shots, nine came off Bulldog assists. However, the outside shooting was bound to cool off, which allowed SAU to climb back into the game, cutting the lead to eight by the end of the half.

The second half saw it become the Muleriders' turn to hit from deep, as they went 7-11 from beyond the arc while SWOSU shot just 3-13 from three-point range. However, the story of the game came at the free throw line. SAU finished 10-14 from the charity stripe, while the Bulldogs, who did not attempt a free throw in the first half, became the aggressors in the second. SWOSU went to the line 19 times and missed only once, shooting a season-high 94.7 percent to help maintain its offensive output. The game got within three points in the final minute multiple times, but clutch shot making from the line propelled the Dawgs to the win.

SWOSU led wire to wire as they shot 46.4% from the field and 41.4% from three-point range, while SAU shot 50.9% overall and 47.4% from beyond the arc.

Once again, the Dawgs' scoring came from an even distribution, as they had five players in double figures, led by Elijah Jordan with a season-high 20 points and four steals. Ty Frierson added 16 points and a team-high six rebounds, going a perfect 8-8 from the line. Tucker Shepherd had 14 points while shooting 4-5 from deep. Kayden Carter and Tobias Roland each scored 11.