BARTLESVILLE, Okla.– Jacie Higgins and Hannah Villines both turned in 14-point performances, while Jayana Sanders added 13, but the Arkansas Tech Golden Suns basketball team (15-16) was unable to overcome a fourth-quarter surge by No. 8/5 Southwestern Oklahoma (30-1), falling 87-66 to the Bulldogs in the championship game of the Great American Conference championship tournament. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• SWOSU opened up an early five-point (7-2) advantage 90 seconds into the contest. 
• The Golden Suns were able to pull to within one (15-14) at the 4:28 mark of the opening quarter on a 3-pointer by Villines, but the Bulldogs pushed the lead back to five points and went into the second quarter with a five-point (23-18) advantage. 
• SWOSU stretched its lead to eight points (30-22) with 6:12 to play after a Tyra Aska 3-pointer. 
• The Golden Suns rallied down the stretch, tying the game at 37-37 on a 3-pointer by Sanders. 
• SWOSU reclaimed the lead with 50 seconds to play until half, but Kiara Moses again tied the game at 39-39 with 38 seconds to play with a layup.
• A pair of turnovers and quick buckets during the final 15 seconds of the opening half gave SWOSU a five-point (44-39) halftime lead. 
• The Bulldogs extended the lead to double figures (54-44) at the 5:14 mark of the third quarter and led by as many as 13 (57-44) with 2:56 to play before Tech rallied, cutting the SWOSU lead back to six (57-51) after another 3-pointer by Sanders. 
• SWOSU tacked on a pair of free throws with two seconds left to take an eight-point lead into the fourth quarter. 
• The Bulldogs saved their best play for the final quarter, outscoring the Golden Suns 28-15 over the final ten minutes to seal their victory. 

NOTABLES

• Sanders and Lyrik Williams were named to the all-tournament team.
• SWOSU outshot Tech 49.2 to 39.0 percent for the game and held a 43-31 rebounding edge.
• The Golden Suns shot a game-high 56.3 percent in the second quarter.
• SWOSU held a 19-8 advantage in points off turnovers, a 34-26 advantage in points in the paint, a 17-5 advantage in fast-break points, and a 19-13 advantage in bench points. 
• This game was the fourth all-time meeting between Arkansas Tech and SWOSU in the GAC Women's Basketball Championships. Tech now holds a 3-1 record in those meetings.