MONTICELLO, Ark. – The Arkansas Tech men's basketball team opened up the Great American Conference portion of their schedule on the road at Arkansas-Monticello on Thursday night and a slow start offensively was ultimately too much to overcome as the Wonder Boys fell to the Boll Weevils, 78-65.
 
That slow start on the offensive end by the Wonder Boys (2-1, 1-0 GAC) saw the Boll Weevils (2-0, 1-0 GAC) jump out to a 13-2 lead through the first eight minutes or so of action. A layup by Justin Briley at the 12:52 mark of the first half was the first made field goal of the game for the Wonder Boys and sparked a 6-0 burst to bring it to a five-point game with just under 10 minutes left.
 
The Boll Weevils staved off that push and at the 6:35 mark grew their lead back out to nine points, 18-9. Over the next two minutes, however, the Wonder Boys ripped off an 8-0 run and climbed back to within a point, 18-17, with 4:45 on the clock.
 
With that one-point margin on the scoreboard once more, this time at the 3:34 mark, the Boll Weevils methodically went on to build up their lead from the free throw line over the next two minutes of play as they went on a 7-0 run, all from the charity stripe. A possession after that run at the line, the Boll Weevils grabbed a double-digit lead on a three-pointer at the 1:31 mark.
 
By the break, the deficit for the Wonder Boys was eight, 32-24.
 
In that first half, ATU shot 35% overall (8-of-23), 20% from three-point range (2-of-10) and 60% from the free throw line (6-of-10).
 
Coming out of the break, UAM ripped off a quick 8-0 run and suddenly doubled their lead out to 16 points with just over 18 minutes left on the clock. Over the next five minutes or so of action, UAM maintained a double-digit lead.
 
The Wonder Boys briefly brought the game to within single digits at the 13:28 mark on a layup by junior transfer Kevin Howard and again at the 8:33 mark on a free throw by Niko Gosnell, but the Boll Weevils would not let their lead dip any lower and eventually ended with a 13-point victory.
 
For the game, the Wonder Boys ended up shooting just under 40% overall from the field (18-of-46), 25% from three-point range (4-of-16) and 76% from the free throw line (25-of-33).
 
The leading scorer in the game for Tech was Ke'Lyn Adams as he scored 18 points. Elven of his 18 points came from the charity stripe as he was a perfect 11-of-11 from the line. Nine other Wonder Boys scored in the game, but Adams was the only one to reach double figures.
 
The Wonder Boys will now turn their attention towards a Saturday afternoon game against the reigning GAC Tournament champions, Henderson State. Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 4 p.m. inside Tucker Coliseum. Per GAC Return To Play Protocols, fan attendance will not be permitted. Live video will be provided for free through the Arkansas Tech Sports Network.