RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas Tech Golden Suns look to clinch the second seed in the Great American Conference Championships with the final two games of the regular season this weekend. Tech travels to Ada, Okla. for a Thursday-night contest with East Central at 5:30 p.m. before taking on Southeastern Oklahoma State in Durant at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
 
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Live audio, video and statistics for both games are available at www.arkansastechsports.com. The games will be carried live on 102.3-FM (KCJC) in Russellville, with Sam Strasner calling the play-by-play.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
Arkansas Tech leads the all-time series against East Central, 10-5, including a 68-43 win earlier this season. Against Southeastern Oklahoma, the Golden Suns hold a 9-4 advantage after a 69-51 victory in January.
 
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN SUNS
Arkansas Tech (20-4, 16-4 GAC) won two of three games last week, highlighted by an 86-41 win over Arkansas-Monticello on senior night. Tech then finished the weekend with an 82-73 victory over Henderson State in Arkadelphia. The Suns currently sit in second in the GAC standings, three games behind Harding and two games ahead of Southeastern Oklahoma.
 
Tech ranks second in the GAC in both scoring offense and scoring defense, while leading the conference in scoring margin. The Golden Suns have been efficient on both ends of the floor, as Arkansas Tech is 11^th in Division II in field-goal percentage and 19^th in field-goal percentage defense. Tech also has the best three-point shooting offense and defense in the conference.
 
Anissa Pounds has taken over as Tech's leading scorer, after averaging 28 points per game in wins over UAM and HSU. Pounds had career nights in both victories, beginning with 22 points on senior night against UAM. She led all scorers in the contest, after tallying 12 points in the first eight minutes of play. Against HSU, Pounds scored a career-high 34 points, including 7-11 shooting from three-point range.
 
Kelsey McClure follows Pounds with 12.5 points per game, ranking fourth in the GAC in field-goal percentage. Cheyenne North and Danielle Frachiseur both average over 10 points and seven rebounds per game, while Calli White ranks ninth in Division II in three-point percentage.
 
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
East Central (12-12, 11-9 GAC) punched its ticket into the GAC Championships with a two-point win over Southern Nazarene on Saturday. The Tigers won on a buzzer-beating shot, stretching their win streak to six games and keeping ECU in fifth in the GAC standings.
 
The Tigers have produced the third best scoring defense in the conference, while ranking second in the GAC in three-pointers made per game. Devon Branch ranks fourth in the conference with a team-high 14.6 points per game. Jalyn Jackson averages 8.3 points and 7.3 rebounds, and she ranks third in the conference in shooting percentage.
 
Tech's 25-point victory over ECU earlier this season came after the Suns outscored the Tigers, 28-8, in the paint and, 15-2, on second-chance points. McClure led Tech with a game-high 19 points, and Branch led ECU with 17 points.
 
SCOUTING THE SAVAGE STORM
Southeastern Oklahoma State (16-8, 14-6 GAC) enters the final weekend of regular season play having won six of its last seven games. The Storm have clinched a spot in the GAC Tournament in March and are looking to claim the third seed. Southeastern Oklahoma takes on Harding on Thursday before hosting Tech on Saturday.
 
The Savage Storm rank sixth in the conference in scoring and fifth in scoring defense, posting the third best scoring margin in the GAC this season. Offensively, Southeastern Oklahoma has the third-best shooting percentage in the conference. Defensively, the Storm are third in field-goal percentage defense and second in three-point defense. Olivia Potter and Katie Webb both average over 13 points per game, while Potter leads the conference in three-pointers per game.
 
The Golden Suns grabbed an 18-point win over Southeastern Oklahoma earlier this season after holding the Storm to just 27.0 percent on field goals. White led Tech with 17 points, and Potter scored nine points to lead Southeastern Oklahoma.