RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — Wrapping up a three-game road trip and nearly three weeks without a game at Tucker Coliseum, the Arkansas Tech men's and women's basketball teams head to Southwestern Oklahoma
Thursday for a Great American Conference doubleheader.

The No. 25 Golden Suns (16-3, 11-2 GAC) will look to keep pace with first-place Harding, which sits a game ahead in the standings, by clipping the Bulldogs (7-11, 4-8 GAC) for the second time this year in the 5:30 p.m. tip. A 97-52 victory at home in December saw seven Tech players net double-digit points and at least four rebounds. The win also jump started a six-game winning streak for the Suns, and was the fifth in seven chances since the start of the GAC.

Tech continues to push its high-scoring offense, leading the league with 77.3 points per game, while coming in third in scoring defense at 61.9. That average of 15.4 points better than their opponents puts the Suns second in the GAC and 17th in the nation. The defense stepped up its game last weekend, holding Southern Arkansas to 57 points and Ouachita Baptist to 61, both under their usual offensive output.

Anissa Pounds kept up her high level of play Saturday against Ouachita, pouring in a season-high 23 points against the Tigers. The sophomore is averaging 16.8 points on 49.3 percent shooting and 6.0 rebounds over the past six outings. Fatima Adams netted her third double-double in five games and ninth on the season after collecting 19 points and 13 rebounds against the Tigers, and the junior continues to lead the GAC in scoring at 21.1 points per game.

The Bulldogs feature one of the top rebounding games in the conference, ranked third in both offensive and defensive boards per game. Jessica Penner leads the team in that category, hauling in 9.3 rebounds per game. She's second on the team in scoring, putting up 12.4 points per game—Chelsea Bates averages 12.8—but the post player makes 61.5 percent of her shots from the field, the third best number across Division II. Bates adds nearly four assists and two steals per game, while Korina Chapman puts up 8.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game while totaling 23 blocks on the season.

The Wonder Boys (9-12, 5-8 GAC) will be battling the Bulldogs (11-8, 5-7 GAC) for a leg up in the race for the Great American Conference tournament in the 7:30 p.m. tip, as the stretch run of the regular season gets underway. Tech earned a 69-65 victory in December at Tucker Coliseum, netting four points in the final minute of play to hold off a SWOSU comeback attempt. D.J. Jethroe netted a team-high 19 points, including the go-ahead basket, and six rebounds, while Jay Murphy added 18 points off the bench. It was the second win in a row against the Bulldogs, and ninth in the last 10 meetings for the Wonder Boys.

Clarence Willard continues to improve for Tech, leading the way with 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists against Ouachita Baptist Saturday. The senior earned his first start of the year in a conference game
against the Tigers, and has averaged 10.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists over the past five games. Mike Balogun continues to lead the Wonder Boys with 13.9 points per game, with Willard's 9.3 and Nick Wayman's 9.1 just shy of double figures.

SWOSU is led by Martell Collins, who puts up 17.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. He leads the GAC and is in the top 22 in the country in both rebounding and double-doubles. Trent Washington and Kenyan Borders put up 11.7 and 10.3 points per game. Washington dumped in 20 points in the first meeting against the Wonder Boys, while Collins added 10 points and 11 rebounds.

As a team, the Bulldogs have the top scoring defense in the GAC, giving up just 66.3 points per game. A big part of that number is that they don't give teams extra chances, turning the ball over just 9.7 times per game, the fourth-best number in the nation and tops in the league.

The action will be carried live on 100.9 (KWKK) in Russellville, with live video, audio and statistics available at www.arkansastechsports.com.