RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. - Sarah Heard turned in a 15-point, seven-rebound performance, leading a group of four players to reach double figures in scoring as the Arkansas Tech Golden Suns basketball team (11-5, 8-4 Great American Conference) cruised to a 70-51 win over Northwestern Oklahoma (9-9, 5-7) on Saturday afternoon at Tucker Coliseum. 

NEXT UP

• The Golden Suns travel to Oklahoma for a two-game swing, first facing East Central at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 30.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The two teams traded baskets and leads throughout the opening quarter, with the Golden Suns using a pair of free throws by Lycia Peevy with four seconds to play in the period to seize a 16-12 advantage. 
• The Golden Suns scored the first two baskets of the second quarter to take an eight-point (20-12) lead, but NWOSU rallied to reclaim the lead at 22-21 with 3:45 to play. 
• The Golden Suns finished the half on an 8-0 run to claim a 29-22 halftime lead.
• After NWOSU cut the Tech lead to four (34-30) with 6:19 to go in the third quarter, the Golden Suns pushed ahead and used a Jayana Sanders 3-pointer at the 4:50 mark to push the lead into double figures (42-32) for the first time in the game. 
• Tech held NWOSU scoreless over the final two minutes of the quarter to extend the lead to 17 points going into the fourth. 
• The Golden Suns led by as many as 26 (70-44) with 2:15 to play, but NWOSU scored the game's final seven points to pull to within 70-51 at the final buzzer.

NOTABLES

• Sanders (13 points), Kaley Shipman (11 points), and Peevy (10 points) all reached double figures in addition to Heard. 
• Ashley Breathitt turned in a nine-point, nine-rebound, and four-assist performance while Sanders added five boards and five assists. 
• Peevy also grabbed eight boards.
• Tech outshot NWOSU 45.6 to 31.0 percent, while holding a 52-22 rebounding edge.
• NWOSU held a 22-15 advantage in bench points and a 23-17 advantage in points off turnovers.
• Tech held a 12-4 advantage in second-chance points and a 28-20 advantage in paint points.
• There were three ties and five lead changes.