RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — Mike Balogun scored 22 points off the bench, leading a cast of five Wonder Boys players in double figures as Arkansas Tech (5-5, 1-2 Great American Conference) survived a contest with eight ties and 16 lead changes, holding off Southern Arkansas (4-3, 3-2 GAC) 77-75 on Saturday at Tucker Coliseum.

"It was nice to see some guys that haven't been playing all year long get healthy and put up some good numbers tonight," said Wonder Boys head coach Chad Kline. "This was a heck of a team effort."

The Muleriders seized the momentum early, running out to a 21-10 lead after a 3-pointer by Jaron Davis at the 10:58 point of the first half. Arkansas Tech used a 12-2 run to pull to within one (23-22) with 7:40 to play in the half, but SAU pushed its lead out to three after Alre'k Brown converted a pair of free throws.

Balogun hit a dunk in transition to pull the Wonder Boys within 25-24 at the 7:01 mark, and after a charging foul by Brown, Tech took its first lead since 2-0 on a layup by D.J. Jethroe. Chauncy Williams hit a jumper at the 6:00 mark to put SAU ahead briefly, but the Wonder Boys went ahead just moments later on a layup by Nick Wayman with 5:37 to play.

Tech pushed its lead out to six points (37-31) after a pair of monster dunks by Gary Gaskins, however, SAU used a 7-0 run to reclaim the lead (38-37) with 1:20 to play in the half.

The Wonder Boys scored the final four points of the half to go into the break with a three-point (41-38) lead.

After Tech pushed its lead out to six (46-40) at the 18:52 mark of the second half, SAU used an 8-0 run to reclaim the lead (48-46) at the 15:33 mark. SAU pushed its lead to as many as eight points (61-53) with 12:07 to play, but an 11-2 run by the Wonder Boys, keyed by a 3-pointer by Balogun at the 9:15 mark, put the Wonder Boys ahead again (64-63).

After SAU tied the contest at 66-66 with 7:12 to go, the drama began in earnest.

Balogun hit a jumper at the 5:40 mark to put Tech ahead, but 35 seconds later Tyrell Taylor hit a long 3-pointer to give the Muleriders a one-point lead. Tech went ahead 20 seconds later (70-69) on a dunk by Gaskins, but SAU reclaimed the lead (71-70) after a Davis layup.

With 3:56 to play, Jethroe went to the free-throw line for the Wonder Boys and hit both free throws to put the Wonder Boys ahead 72-71, but Brown went to the line for SAU just 23 seconds later and hit both shots to give
the Muleriders a 73-72 lead.

Jethroe hit a layup with 3:22 to play to give the Wonder Boys a 74-73 lead, and the two defenses kept points off the board for the next three minutes, a streak that ended only with 21 seconds to play when Taylor hit a jumper to give the Muleriders a 75-74 lead.

With 12 seconds to play, Jay Murphy drew a foul going to the basket and was sent to the line with the chance to put his team ahead. The senior hit both free throws, giving Tech a 76-75 lead. A turnover by the Muleriders
with five seconds left put the ball in Tech hands, and SAU was forced to foul. After Balogun hit his first free throw, he missed the second, and SAU came up with the rebound with 0.7 seconds on the clock.

The Muleriders' inbounds pass sailed out of bounds, and Tech was able to bring the ball in bounds and run out the clock to hold on for the win.

Jethroe turned in a 14-point effort, Wayman added 11 points, nine rebounds, and four assists, Clarence Willard turned in a 10-point, five-rebound effort, and Gaskins scored 10 points with eight rebounds to help pace the Tech offense. Tech held a 47.5 to 46.7 percent advantage in shooting percentage, while holding a 39-36 advantage on the rebounding glass. Tech outscored SAU 42-32 in the paint, while holding a 34-7 advantage in bench points.

Tech will return to action on Wednesday, Dec. 17, hosting Southwestern Oklahoma in a 7:30 p.m. contest at Tucker Coliseum. The game will be carried live on KWKK-FM (100.9) in Russellville, with live video, audio, and statistics available at www.arkansastechsports.com.