GAME DAY INFORMATION
ARKANSAS TECH GOLDEN SUNS 4-0 (3-0 GAC)	SOUTHERN ARKANSAS LADY MULERIDERS 1-1 (1-1 GAC)
Monday, January 14 | 5:30 p.m. Russellville, Ark. | Tucker Coliseum LIVE STATS | WATCH LIVE | LISTEN LIVE | ATU NOTES (PDF)

Off to a 4-0 start to a season for the first time since 2017-18, the Arkansas Tech women's basketball team is set to close out a season-long three-game home stand on Thursday night as the Golden Suns play host to Southern Arkansas. 

The last time out, the Golden Suns edged out rival Harding, 78-76, in the first of four scheduled regular season meetings with the Lady Bisons. That first meeting was another classic game in the series between two of the perennial powerhouses in the GAC. 

In what is the definition of a closely-played back-and-forth game, the score was tied up 13 times, the lead changed hands on 15 separate occasions and neither team led by more than eight points at any point in the game. 

The second half was when the game got really close. 

In the third quarter alone, the score was tied three times and the lead changed hands 10 times. The last of the lead changes in the third quarter went the way of the Golden Suns as Kaley Shipman buried one of her two three-pointers. A pair of free throws in the waning seconds of the period by Harding, however, made it a one-point lead for the Golden Suns heading into the fourth quarter. 

Throughout the fourth quarter, the margin remained razor-thin. The largest lead for either team in that final period was a mere four points by the Golden Suns at the 8:58 mark, and that margin lasted just a trip back down the court as the Lady Bisons' Kellie Lampo made a layup on the ensuing possession. From that point on, the score was tied on seven different occasions and the lead changed hands twice. 

Tied at 74-all with just under a minute to play, Jayana Sanders drained a three-pointer to put the Golden Suns up for good. 

TECH TIDBITS 

The Golden Suns enter play tonight with a 4-0 record and a 3-0 mark in the GAC. As a team, the Golden Suns are averaging 77.5 ppg and rank fourth in the GAC. On the defensive end of the court, the Golden Suns sport the best scoring defense in the league, giving up an average of 56.5 ppg. In terms of field goal percentage and field goal percentage defense, the Golden Suns are second in the conference as they are shooting at an overall clip of .438 (114-of-260) and are limiting opponents to a .293 mark (75-of-256). 

Individually, the Golden Suns have four players averaging double figures in scoring. Sophomore Kaley Shipman leads the way at 17.3 ppg. Behind her is newcomer Ashlei Lopez at 15.8 ppg. Senior Jayana Sanders is third on the team at 13.0 ppg and junior newcomer Nikki Metcalfe rounds out double-figure scoring for the Golden Suns at 11.0 ppg. 

The Golden Suns are coached by Dave Wilbers, who is in his 14th season on the sidelines at Tech. A newly-minted member of the 300-career win club, Wilbers has a career record of 302-93. Overall in his time at Tech, Wilbers has kept the Golden Suns as perennial contenders in the GAC, the region and the nation, winning 20 or more games nine times, capturing six conference regular championships, five conference tournament championships and advancing to eight NCAA Regional Tournaments. 

SCOUTING THE LADY MULERIDERS 

Southern Arkansas enters their game against the Golden Suns 1-1 overall and 1-1 in the GAC. Their win came in their most-recent action on Monday as the Lady Muleriders beat Arkansas-Monticello by a score of 72-66. 

In the win, SAU fell behind early as the Cotton Blossoms scored the game's first points, but after breaking the seal on their scoring efforts at the 6:53 mark of the first quarter, SAU took the lead and would not relinquish it the rest of the game. UAM threatened the lead at points in the second half, but the Lady Muleriders staved off each attempt en route to their first win of the season. 

Statistically, the Lady Muleriders are averaging 78.0 ppg on offense to rank third in the GAC and are giving up an average of 79.5 ppg to rank ninth in the GAC. In terms of field goal percentages, SAU is shooting at .350 clip overall (56-of-160) to rank eighth and are allowing opponents to shot at a mark of .453 (63-of-139) to rank 10th. 

Individually, the Lady Muleriders have two players scoring in double figures and are led by Kisi Young at 19.0 ppg. Their second double-figure scorer is Diamond Morris 14.0 ppg. 

The Lady Muleriders are coached by Adam Collins, who is in his third season at SAU. In his time as a head coach at SAU, Collins has amassed a 21-38 record. After a 3-25 record in his first season, Collins engineered a dramatic turnaround in year two and led the Lady Muleriders to a 17-12 record and advanced to the GAC Tournament for the first time since 2016. Overall, Collins in his 13th season as a head coach and has a career record of 180-168.