RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — Bre Brooks and Anissa Pounds turned in 18-point performances, while Fatima Adams notched a 16-point, eight-rebound effort as the No. 22 Arkansas Tech Golden Suns basketball team (10-2, 8-0 Great American Conference) rolled to a 91-73 win over Southern Arkansas (9-3, 5-2 GAC) on Saturday afternoon at Tucker Coliseum.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• SAU and Tech traded buckets through the first four minutes of the game, with SAU leading 8-7 with 6:12 to play in the opening quarter.
• The Golden Suns used an 11-0 run to claim a 10-point (18-8) lead with 2:27 to play in the opening quarter.
• SAU cut the Tech advantage to five (18-13) in the final minute of the quarter but Calli White drained a 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the quarter to take a 21-13 lead after one.
• Tech pushed its lead back into double-digits (28-17) three minutes into the second quarter.
• Tech's halftime lead (48-31) was its largest lead of the contest.
• The Golden Suns pushed out to a 28-point (60-32) lead with 6:33 to play in the third quarter, the largest lead of the game for Arkansas Tech.
• SAU was able to pull within 20 in the final three minutes of the contest, but were never able to get closer than 18 points down the stretch.

NOTABLES

• The game marked the return to Tucker Coliseum of former Golden Suns head coach Julio Pacheco, who served seven years as an assistant coach to coach Dave Wilbers and now leads the SAU program.
• Tech held a 49.1 to 42.6 advantage in shooting from the floor, including a 38.9 percent to 28.6 percent advantage from 3-point range.
• Tech shot 85.7 percent from the charity stripe to SAU's 61.3.
• SAU outrebounded Arkansas Tech 40-33.
• The Golden Suns picked up assists on 17 of 27 baskets – led by Bre Brooks' five.
• SAU held advantages in points in the paint (36-32) and second-chance points (12-6), but the Golden Suns held a 12-6 advantage in fast-break points and a 28-10 advantage in points off turnovers.

COACH WILBERS SAYS

• On the offensive performance from the guard position - "It makes a big difference because it gives us balanced scoring. Our posts are going to give us something every night, just because they're all very talented and good players. When our guards can get out in transition and make baskets – our passing up the floor was sensational today. We got out and ran the floor, and ran our lanes, and we're tough to beat when we're hitting the floor and hitting threes like that."
• On holding SAU's Rosa Bryant to 3-of-12 shooting – "Well, it was Aujana (Dawkins) and Danielle (Frachiseur). They were very physical down in the post. We had some fouls called on us, but both of them did a great job getting into position."
• On his team's bench performance – "Our bench has gotten better. They've done a good job of working out on their own, and if we play as hard as we try to, we need our bench. There are a few that could start for a lot of teams."
• On coaching against his former assistant coach – "It wasn't just another game. It was weird to be quite honest with you. I didn't think about it much during the game, but Julio has done a good job with that team. They're 9-3 and they're going to win a lot of games this year. They're talented. I see a lot of our plays that they're running, but they're executing them too and they're doing a good job. He's got a great future in front of him."

WHO'S NEXT

• The Golden Suns return to action Monday, Jan. 18 to face off against Harding University at Tucker Coliseum. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.