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MONTICELLO – The University of Arkansas at Monticello women's basketball team nearly doubled Southern Arkansas' point total in the second half to highlight a 63-44 win over the Lady Muleriders at home on Rivalry Thursday in the Great American Conference.
The Blossoms (7-18, 3-16 GAC) outscored 36-19 in the second half after leading by two points at the halftime break (27-25). UAM increased its field goal shooting by eight percentage points in the final 20 minutes, while SAU had the exact opposite, an eight percent drop from 32 percent to 24 percent.
The 44 points allowed in Thursday's win over SAU is UAM's best defensive outing during Great American Conference games this season.
After UAM jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first three minutes, SAU took over and led for the next ten minutes, including a seven-point lead of 21-14 at the 6:16 mark. UAM responded with a 9-0 run to regain the lead (23-21) on a three-pointer from sophomore Nikki Mullen at the 3:44 mark. Both squads exchanged baskets over the next two minutes, and sophomore Donlicia James' layup with 11 seconds remaining gave the Blossoms its two-point edge at halftime, which was the fourth lead change of the game.
UAM opened the second half with eight straight points to gain a double-digit lead at the 16:08 mark on a jumper from Mullen in the paint (35-25). The Blossoms maintained at least a five-point lead for the remainder of the game, and used a 15-2 run over a span of nearly six minutes to capture their largest lead of the game (61-42) on a pair of free throws from Mullen with 47 seconds remaining.
The Blossoms finished the game shooting 45 percent from the field (21-for-47), 50 percent on three-pointers (6-for-12) and 60 percent on foul shots (15-for-25). SAU ended at 28 percent overall (18-for-64), 25 percent on treys (6-for-24) and 67 percent on foul shots (2-for-3). SAU did not reach the foul line in the final 20 minutes.
Mullen recorded her 13th double-digit scoring game of the season to tie teammate Donlicia James for the game-high in scoring. Both had 18 points in the win. Mullen was 5-for-8 from the field, 4-of-6 coming from beyond the arc. James finished the game 7-for-12 from the field and also had a game-high eight rebounds. James' 18 points is a season-high and marks only the third time of the year she has reached double-digits in scoring. Sophomore Jordan Goforth also reached double-digits for the Blossoms with 11 points, while adding seven rebounds and five assists to her final totals.
Aarika Reyna led the Lady Muleriders (11-14, 7-12 GAC) with 14 points in 22 minutes off the bench.
The Blossoms close out the 2013-14 season on Saturday at home against Ouachita Baptist. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. inside Steelman Field House. Senior Day ceremonies will take place immediately following the conclusion of the women's game.
