RUSSELLVILLE, Ark.— One thousand, three hundred and forty-eight days.

In the nearly four years since the Arkansas Tech Golden Suns and Delta State Lady Statesmen basketball teams last faced off, much has changed. None of the players from that classic matchup between the third-ranked Golden Suns and fourth-ranked Lady Statesmen remain, although former Delta State standout Shameka Russell is now an assistant coach.

Delta State is on its third head coach since the last meeting between these two programs, as Gulf South Conference veteran Craig Roden, formerly of West Alabama (1984-87, 2011-2014) and West Georgia (1996-2010) has taken the helm of the Lady Statesmen program.

Despite the changes, many things remain the same. Dave Wilbers continues at the helm of the Golden Suns basketball program, having led the team to a record of 169-47 during his tenure. The programs remain ranked among the top five in Division II in all-time wins and winning percentage.

From the very first chapter of this storied rivalry, the two teams were at the top of their respective games. Delta State was the reigning Division II national champion, and had won three national titles in the previous four years. The Golden Suns had won 39 of their last 40 contests, were the reigning NAIA national champions and were on their way to repeating as NAIA national champions.

On January 5, 1993, the two teams met for the very first time, with Tucker Coliseum serving as the backdrop to the first chapter to what would become an incredibly rivalry between women's basketball programs. Delta State was at its peak under legendary head coach Lloyd Clark, while another legendary head coach, Joe Foley, led the Arkansas Tech program.

In the battle of reigning national champions, the Golden Suns would reign supreme, winning a 70-61 contest. Eleven days later, the two teams squared off once again, and the Golden Suns again emerged victorious, with a 65-62 victory inside Walter Sillers Coliseum in Cleveland, Miss.

The two teams would not face off against one another again until 1996, after the Golden Suns departed the NAIA for NCAA Division II and the Gulf South Conference. The 1995-96 season started a string of 16 seasons where the two teams played one another at least twice, and frequently more.

The series remained even through the early 2000s, with neither team winning more than three consecutive contests from 1993-2005. However, Delta State, then led by head coach Sandra Rushing, picked up a 70-58 win over the Golden Suns on February 26, 2005, starting a run of 12 consecutive wins against the Golden Suns. From the 2004-05 season to the 2009-10 season, Delta State posted a cumulative record of 163-31, and established itself as the dominant program in the Gulf South Conference during the late 2000s.

While the Lady Statesmen were at their peak in the late 2000s, a sleeping giant was coming back to life in the form of a rejuvenated Arkansas Tech program, now led by Wilbers.

As the old saying goes, "To be the man, you've got to beat the man." And on January 23, 2010, the Golden Suns did just that, snapping their long skid against the Lady Statesmen with a 56-47 win. The two teams would split the regular-season series that year, but Arkansas Tech came up big with wins over Delta State in both the 2010 Gulf South Conference championship game as well as the Sweet Sixteen matchup between the two schools.

The advantage was solidly in the hands of the Golden Suns, as Arkansas Tech won six of the final eight meetings between the two schools, including once again topping the Lady Statesmen in the 2011 GSC title game and yet again in a Sweet Sixteen matchup, an 85-77 victory for the Golden Suns on March 14, 2011.

That game ended an era in the storied rivalry, as the Golden Suns departed the Gulf South Conference to become charter members of the Great American Conference the very next year.

Since the last chapter of the rivalry closed, both programs have remained at or near the top of their respective leagues, but the paths of the two programs have not crossed. That will change Friday, when the Golden Suns and Lady Statesmen resume their rivalry with a 5:30 p.m. contest at Tucker Coliseum.

Both teams are playing their second games of the season. The Golden Suns opened their season with a 100-40 rout of Ecclesia College on Monday night, while the 22^nd-ranked Lady Statesmen fell 65-40 to No. 15 Harding on Monday night.

The game will be broadcast live on KWKK-FM (100.9) in Russellville. Live video, audio, and statistics are available at www.arkansastechsports.com.