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TIPPING OFF
After opening the season with their first two games at home, the Arkansas Tech women's basketball team is set to venture away from Tucker Coliseum for the first time this season and will take part in the post-Thanksgiving Angelo State Invitational this Friday and Saturday.
At the invitational, the Golden Suns will have an opportunity to play a pair of in-region opponents from the loaded Lone Star Conference. First up among those opponents is Texas Woman's on Friday afternoon at 2 p.m.. Following that neutral site clash, the Golden Suns will turn around the following day and take on the host-institution, Angelo State in a 5 p.m. tip.
Already off to a 2-0 start to the year, the Golden Suns have shown that they have the makings of another potent offensive team as they have scored over 80 points in each of their first two games. Even more impressive than the actual scoring total has been the balance of the scoring among the roster. In each of those two games, four separate Golden Suns have scored in double figures in the game.
Also, the Golden Suns displayed the ability to make adjustments and find another level of both offense and defense to pull away from their opponents. In their opener, the Golden Suns held just a three-point lead at halftime over Champion Christian and went on to win by 29 points. Against Christian Brothers, the lead was just a point after the first quarter, but Tech went on to out-score CBU, 64-44 over the next three quarters.
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TECH TIDBITS
Arkansas Tech enters this weekend with a 2-0 overall record. The first two games played have come with relative ease for the Golden Suns as they have out-scored their opponents by an average of 25 points per game.
Statistically, this year, the Golden Suns are averaging 90.0 ppg and rank first in the GAC. On the defensive end of the court, the Golden Suns rank seventh in the league in scoring defense, giving up an average of 65.0 ppg. In terms of field goal percentage and field goal percentage defense, the Golden Suns are third in the conference as they shoot at an overall clip of .475 (67-of-141) and are limiting their opponents to a .389 mark (51-of-131) to rank eighth.
From beyond-the-arc, the Golden Suns are shooting at a clip of .341 (14-of-41) to rank seventh in the GAC while their opponents are making three-pointers at a mark of .264 (14-of53) to rank third. From the free throw line, the Golden Suns are shooting .762 as a team (32-of-42) to rank fifth. Individually, the Golden Suns have five players average double figures in scoring.
Ashlei Lopez leads the way at 21.5 ppg.
Kaley Shipman is next at 18.0 ppg.
Sydnee Wynn,
Jayana Sanders and
Nikki Metcalfe are the other three in double figure scoring at 14.0 ppg, 12.5 ppg and 10.5 ppg, respectively.
The Golden Suns are coached by
Dave Wilbers, who is in his 15th season on the sidelines at Tech. A member of the 300-career win club, Wilbers has a career record of 314-95. 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 seven conference regular championships, five conference tournament championships and advancing to nine NCAA Regional Tournaments.
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SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Texas Woman's enters Friday's non-conference game at 3-1 overall and are coming off of a win their last time out against Southeastern Oklahoma. TWU would need an extra five minutes to secure the win and made good on an old-fashioned threepoint play with just under 30 seconds left to play. Prior to that game, TWU had just suffered their first loss of the season to East Centra.
In the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, Texas Woman's finished 5-9 overall and played an exclusive Lone Star schedule.
Statistically this season, the Pioneers average 65.8 ppg on offense to rank eighth in the LSC and give up an average of 62.8 ppg to rank seventh in the LSC. In terms of field goal percentages, TWU shoots at a .353 clip overall (82-of-232) to rank 16th and is allowing opponents to shoot at a mark of .371 (85-of-229) to rank sixth.
From three-point range, the Pioneers shoot at a .275 clip (14- of-51) to rank 12th in the LSC and are allowing their opponents to shoot .272 (25-of-92) from range to rank fifth. At the charity stripe, the Pioneers shoot .766 (85-of-11) to rank fourth in the LSC.
Individually, the Pioneers hve two players scoring in double figures in and are led by Sadie Moyer at 16.0 ppg. Behind Moyer in scoring and rounding out double figure average is Keslyn King at 10.0 ppg. TWU has two others averaging at least 8.0 ppg in Ashley Ingram and Ma'K'la Woods at 9.5 and 8.8 ppg, respectively.
The Pioneers are coached by Beth Jillson, who is in her 15th season at Texas Woman's. In her time as a head coach at TWU, Jillson has amassed a 195-189 record and has led the Pioneers to the NCAA Tournament twice.
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SCOUTING THE BELLES
Angelo State enters this weekend's slate of action 0-4 overall and will have played a game against Harding prior to tipping off with the Golden Suns.
In the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, Angelo State finished 1-13 overall and played an exclusive Lone Star schedule.
Statistically this season, the Belles average 50.0 ppg on offense to rank 17th in the LSC and give up an average of 58.3 ppg to rank fourth in the LSC. In terms of field goal percentages, ASU shoots at a .328 clip overall (77-of-235) to rank 17th and is allowing opponents to shoot at a mark of .396 (78-of-197) to rank 13th.
From three-point range, the Belles shoot at a .214 clip (18-of-84) to rank 17th in the LSC and are allowing their opponents to shoot .351 (20-of-57) from range to rank 14th. At the charity stripe, the Belles shoot .651 (28-of-43) to rank 13th in the LSC.
Individually, the Belles have one player scoring in double figures in and are led by Payton Brown at 10.0 ppg. Behind Brown in scoring is Tayjanna McGhee-Pleasant at 9.8 ppg. Only one other player is averaging over 5.0 ppg.
The Belles are coached by Alesha Ellis, who is in her first season at Angelo State. Prior to her appointment at Angelo State, Ellis spent eight season at NAIA Wayland Baptist and led the Flying Queens to the NAIA National Tournament each season.
