GAME DAY INFORMATION
ARKANSAS TECH GOLDEN SUNS 5-0 (4-0 GAC)	SOUTHERN ARKANSAS LADY MULERIDERS 1-3 (1-3 GAC)
Saturday, January 30 | 2 p.m. Magnolia, Ark. | W.T. Watson Center LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | LISTEN LIVE | ATU NOTES

TIPPING OFF
It will be 16 days since the Golden Suns have played a game of basketball, when they travel to Southern Arkansas on Saturday. Due to COVID-19 protocols, the Golden Suns last five matchups have been postponed. The last time the team took the court, it was in Tucker Coliseum, against none other than the Lady Muleriders of Southern Arkansas. 
  
In their last game, the Golden Suns surpassed the century mark, taking down Southern Arkansas 115-94 last week in Tucker Coliseum. The offensive effort by both teams was the second-highest combined total points in the Great American Conference history. Arkansas Tech only trailed Southern Arkansas for the first two minutes of play before taking a lead and never looking back.

The offensive play of the Golden Suns put on a show as they scored 32 points in the first quarter alone, shooting 72 percent from the field, going 13-of-18. Arkansas Tech also shot 50 percent from beyond the arc in the first quarter, taking a 32-24 lead in to the second quarter.

Southern Arkansas' defense quieted the Golden Sun's attack in the second quarter, holding them to 23 points and their lowest field-goal percentage of the game, 38 percent going into half time. The Golden Suns held onto a six-point lead, 55-49 at the half.

The defense of Arkansas Tech never allowed the Lady Muleriders to score more than nine field goals in a quarter and held them to shooting just 25 percent from beyond the arc. Southern Arkansas pulled within four, 57-53, with eight minutes to play in the third, but the Golden Suns used an 18-8 run to go up by 15, 76-61, with less than two minutes in the third.

The fourth quarter saw the Golden Suns surpass the century mark after a Jalei Oglesby layup from Ashlei Lopez with three minutes still left in the game. Arkansas Tech poured in 14 more points before time ran out. 

TECH TIDBITS
The Golden Suns enter play Saturday with a 5-0 record and a 4-0 mark in the GAC. As a team, the Golden Suns are averaging 85.0 ppg and rank second in the GAC. On the defensive end of the court, the Golden Suns sport the second-best scoring defense in the league, giving up an average of 64.0 ppg. In terms of field goal percentage and field goal percentage defense, the Golden Suns lead in the conference as they are shooting at an overall clip of .471 (162-of-344) and are limiting opponents to a .322 mark (110-of-342).

Individually, the Golden Suns have four players averaging double figures in scoring. Sophomore Kaley Shipman leads the way at 17.6 ppg. Behind her is newcomer Ashlei Lopez at 17.2 ppg. Senior Jayana Sanders is third on the team at 12.4 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 303-93. 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
Sothern Arkansas enters their game against the Golden Suns 1-3 overall and 1-3 in the GAC. Their win came early in GAC competition against Arkansas-Monticello, 72-66 on January 11 in Magnolia. 

In their last outing, the Lady Muelriders fell to the Lady Bisons of Harding 87-80. Ariana Guinn and Diamond Morris led Southern Arkansas with 14 points each. The Lady Bisons established a lead early on and the Lady Muleriders were unable to pull ahead. 

Statistically, the Lady Muleriders are averaging 82.5 ppg on offense to rank third in the GAC and are giving up an average of 90.2 ppg to rank last in the GAC. In terms of field goal percentages, SAU is shooting at .383 clip overall (125-of-326) to rank ninth and are allowing opponents to shot at a mark of .486 (142-of-292) to rank last. 

Individually, the Cotton Blossoms have three players scoring in double figures and are led by Kisi Young with 12.7 ppg. Their other leading scorers are Diamond Morris with 12.3 ppg and Ariana Guinn with 11.0 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 180-170.