GAME INFORMATION
ARKANSAS TECH WONDER BOYS 5-4 (3-0 GAC)	SOUTHERN ARKANSAS MULERIDERS 4-3 (2-0 GAC)
Saturday, December 17 | 3 p.m. W.T. Watson Center | Magnolia, Ark. LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO GAME NOTES TECH | SAU

TIPPING OFF
One final game remains on the calendar in 2022 ahead of the Christmas break for the Arkansas Tech men's basketball team as a road test in Magnolia against a dangerous Southern Arkansas squad awaits on Saturday afternoon.

Both the Wonder Boys and Muleriders will be looking to emerge from the tilt with a win to extend their current winning streaks as well as keep them positioned near the top of the Great American conference standings heading into the break.

Last season, the Wonder Boys lost the two games against Southern Arkansas, losing 89-83 at home in mid-December and then falling on the road 74-61 in late February to end the season.

In terms of all-time series history, this will be the 186th meeting between Tech and Southern Arkansas. In a series beginning in 1927-28, Tech holds a 107-78 lead in the series, but SAU has won each of the last four meetings.

TECH TIDBITS
The Wonder Boys enter play against Southern Arkansas with a 5-4 overall record and are off to a 3-0 start in Great American Conference play. The Wonder Boys are also in the midst of a five-game winning streak. The streak is the first such of that length since the 2017-18 season. Additionally, the 3-0 start to conference play is the best start as a member of the GAC and the best since the Wonder Boys' final year in the Gulf South Conference in 2010-11.

Statistically, the Wonder Boys are averaging 66.3 ppg and rank 12th in the GAC. On the defensive end of the court, the Wonder Boys rank second in the league in scoring defense, giving up an average of 63.8 ppg. In terms of field goal percentage and field goal percentage defense, the Wonder Boys are 10th in the conference as they shoot at an overall clip of .450 (220-of-518) and limit their opponents to a .400 mark (199-of-497) to rank second.

From beyond-the-arc, the Wonder Boys shoot at a clip of .253 (46-of-182) to rank 12th in the GAC while their opponents make three-pointers at a mark of .347 (66-of-190) to rank seventh. From the free throw line, the Wonder Boys shoot .631 as a team (111-of-176) to rank 11th.

Individually, the Wonder Boys have two players averaging double figures in scoring. Taelon Peter leads the way at 15.6 ppg. Wes Harris is next and rounds out double-figure scoring at 12.8 ppg. Two other Wonder Boys are averaging at least 9,0 ppg.

The Wonder Boys are coached by Mark Downey, who is in his third season back on the sidelines at Tech after a 10-year hiatus. In his first stint, Downey patrolled the sidelines at Tech for four seasons from 2006-07 - 2009-10. In his final season, Downey guided the Wonder Boys to a program-record 30 wins and during that season, the Wonder Boys were ranked No. 1 in NCAA DII for the first time ever.

In his time at Tech, which is now in its seventh season overall, Downey has amassed a 98-76 record. Overall, Downey is in his 16th season as a head coach and has career record of 264-182.

SCOUTING THE MULERIDERS
Southern Arkansas comes into play with a 5-3 overall record and a 2-1 mark in conference play. The Muleriders are also currently on a two-game winning streak with victories over Harding (94- 58) at home on December 3 and on the road against Ouachita (89-67) on December 10.

Statistically, the Muleriders are averaging 81.8 ppg on offense to rank second in the GAC and are giving up an average of 67.9 ppg to rank fifth in the GAC. In terms of field goal percentages, SAU shoots at a .491 clip overall (258-of-525) to rank third in the GAC and allow opponents to shoot at a mark of .426 (200-of-470) to rank sixth.

From three-point range, the Muleriders shoot at a .345 clip (70- of-203) to rank fifth in the GAC and allow opponents to shoot .277 (48-of-173) from range to rank second. At the charity stripe, the Muleriders shoot .648 (68-of-105) to rank 10th in the GAC.

Individually, the Muleriders have three players scoring in double figures and are led by LaTreavin Black and Blake Rogers at 11.1 ppg each, respectively. Gregory Hammond Jr. is next in scoring and rounds out double-figure scoring at 10.5 ppg. Three other Muleriders average at least 8.0 ppg.

The Muleirders are coached by Logan Quinn, who is in his first season as head coach at Southern Arkansas. No stranger to Mulerider basketball, however, Quinn assumed the head coaching role at SAU after serving the past three seasons as an assistant coach where he helped the Muleriders make their first-ever NCAA National Tournament in 2020-21.