Alva Review-Courier -

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – In their final game before the Christmas holiday, the Southern Arkansas Lady Muleriders battled LeMoyne-Owen in an in-region tilt, but SAU was unable to hold onto a slim lead late as the Lady Magicians came away with a 55-50 win.

The score was tied three times and the lead changed hands five times on Friday afternoon with most of that action taking place in the fourth quarter. SAU led 12-7 after the first quarter, but LeMoyne-Owen surged in the second frame to take a 26-21 lead into the intermission. Heading into the final ten minutes of play, the Lady Muleriders trailed 38-36, but a pair of free throws by Sue Key less than 25 seconds into the period tied the game at 38.

Kimberly Crown scored inside with 7:53 remaining in the fourth quarter as SAU took a 40-38 lead and at the 6:13 mark Key converted one of two free throw attempts to push the advantage to three, 41-38. The Southern Arkansas lead would stand at four as Crown made good on one of two tries from the free throw line, before LOC's Dana Gettis answered less than 15 seconds later to bring the Lady Magicians within a bucket of the lead, 42-40. That bucket by Gettis ended a 5:30 minute scoring drought for LOC.

With just over five minutes to play, Crown bullied her way inside for a basket that pushed the SAU lead back to four, before LOC's Tenesha Wright scored in the paint to again cut the Lady Magician deficit to one possession. The Southern Arkansas lead would last until the 3:56 mark as Gettis knocked down a mid-range jumper to tie the game at 44 and two free throws from Lamontazia Blair pushed LOC out front 46-44 with 2:14 to play.

Two free throws from Crown tied the game at 46 with just under two minutes remaining, but LOC would engineer a late 9-4 run to suppress the Lady Mulerider threat.

SAU outscored LOC in points off turnovers (18-13) and bench points (18-16), while both teams scored 11 second-chance points and six fast break points. The Lady Magicians controlled the paint posting 26 points to SAU's 18. Three LOC players scored in double figures as Gettis led with a game-high 18, but it was Wright's big game inside that helped fuel the LeMoyne-Owen offense as she finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds.

Key led Southern Arkansas with 11 points in a team-high 36 minutes and Crown added ten points, and joined Brett Wacha with a team-high nine rebounds. Olivia McWilliams scored eight points and collected a game-high four steals.

The Lady Muleriders return to action on Saturday, December 30, inside the W.T. Watson Center as they welcome in Crowley's Ridge College. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Magnolia.