MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Junior forward Devante Brooks and classmate Aaron Lucas each went for 18 points with the former recording a double-double and the pair led two other ten-point scorers for Southern Arkansas as the Muleriders tossed Union 72-63 on Wednesday night inside a highly energized W.T. Watson Center. It marked the fifth-consecutive win in home openers for eighth-year head coach Andy Sharpe and he moves to 7-1 in such games in his tenure at SAU. The Muleriders (1-2) dominated the boards as they outrebounded their Gulf South Conference opponent 52 to 24. On the offensive glass, SAU grabbed 20 rebounds and allowed just seven to the Bulldogs (1-2). D. Brooks grabbed 14 rebounds, eight offensively, and sophomore Jalen Brooks added 14 boards as well as the brothers combined to outrebound Union in the victory. Three other Muleriders recorded five rebounds. For the eldest Brooks brother, the performance resulted in his 14th career double-double, while the 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting for Lucas matches a career-high that was set against Arkansas Tech during his true freshman campaign of 2017-18. Redshirt Junior Charlie Thomas and junior Gabe Gilliam each registered ten points and five rebounds. J. Brooks did not leave the court as he posted a 40-minute performance that resulted in his aforementioned 14 rebounds with nine points, three assists and a steal. Southern Arkansas outscored Union 40-24 in the paint and in second-chance opportunities, the Muleriders posted a 23-10 advantage which included 14 of those points coming in the second half; eight of which occurred down the stretch in the final 5:40 of the game. SAU led by eight points at the intermission, but Union managed to cut the deficit down to just three points with 8:49 to play in the game as they engineered a quick seven-point swing moments before the under eight media timeout. Following the quick breather, SAU pushed the lead to six points as freshman Dodge Brown assisted Gilliam on a three-point shot and following a Bulldog make D. Brooks took over on back-to-back possessions with offensive rebounds and put-back buckets to push the Muleriders out front 61-53. The SAU lead grew to 11 at the 4:31 mark as Lucas drove inside and drew contact on an acrobatic move to the basket. The junior finished off the old fashioned three-point play and moments later J. Brooks recorded an offensive board capped with an inside bucket to build a 13-point lead with 3:10 remaining. The Bulldogs would only manage to get as close as eight points of the lead in the final three minutes as Southern Arkansas picked up their first win of the season amidst a tough three-game nonconference slate to begin the year. The Muleriders return to action on Thursday, November 21, as they open Great American Conference play in Arkadelphia against Henderson State. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. inside the Duke Wells Center. Live coverage links are available at http://www.MuleriderAthletics.com. Copyright ©2019 Southern Arkansas University Athletics
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