SHAWNEE, Okla. – Southern Arkansas put five players in double figures as the Muleriders cruised to an 89-69 victory against Arkansas Tech to capture the 2023 Great American Conference Men’s Basketball Championship title on Sunday from FireLake Arena.

The Muleriders (22-9) shot 56.7 percent from the floor and connected on 10-of-22 3-point tries. Gregory Hammond, Jr. led the team with 19 points. He went 8-for-11 from the field and 3-for-5 from the 3-point arc. Brock Schreiner added 18; Blake Rogers added three 3-point field goals en route to scoring 15 points. LaTreavin Black contributed 13 points and Carel Ray, Jr. came off the bench to score 10.

An early 15-2 run gave SAU a 24-11 lead midway through the first half. The Mulerider advantage never dipped below seven points and they reached halftime with a 44-32 lead. Out of the break, they extended their lead to 23, 59-36, and finished with the largest margin of victory in a final in GAC Men’S Championship history.

Schreiner earned Tournament MVP honors. He averaged 15.0 points and shot 53.6 percent over the three games. Hammond, Jr., Black and Rogers garnered All-Tournament honors. Black averaged 13.7 points and 8.7 rebounds. Hammond, Jr. averaged 12.7 points and Rogers went 8-for-16 from the 3-point arc.

Taelon Peter led the Wonder Boys (16-15) and scored a game-high 22 points. D’Rell Roberts came off the bench and added 12 points. Peter and Roberts represent the Wonder Boys on the All-Tournament Team.

Ouachita Baptist’s Ma’Darius Hobson and Henderson State’s Alvin Miles rounded out the eight-player All-Tournament Team. Hobson averaged 23.0 points, including 27 in the Tigers’ upset of top-seeded Southern Nazarene. Miles averaged 17.5 points and 7.0 assists in the Reddies’ two contests.

Southern Arkansas becomes the ninth different GAC school to win the tournament title and earns the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Central Region Championships. The Muleriders will learn their destination and first-round opponent during Sunday night’s selection show. It streams on NCAA.com at 9:00 PM. Southern Nazarene stands in line to receive one of the five at-large bids. The Crimson Storm entered the week third in the Central Region rankings.