ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – It might have taken five extra minutes, but the Arkansas Tech Golden Suns picked up a hard-fought victory on the road over Ouachita Baptist, 94-89. Ashlei Lopez led the Golden Suns, pouring in a career-high 33 points while shooting 60 percent from the field.
 
The Lady Tigers opened the game with a 6-2 run in the first two minutes of play before the Golden Suns could find a rhythm. A three-pointer from Kaley Shipman gave Arkansas Tech its first lead, 7-6 with 5:38 left in the opening quarter. The teams traded points throughout the quarter before a jumper from Jayana Sanders with three seconds left in the quarter put the Golden Suns up one, 17-16 after the opening quarter.
 
In the second quarter, the Golden Suns opened with an 8-2 run in the first two minutes, grabbing their largest lead of the half at eight, 25-18 after free throws from Sydnee Wynn. The Lady Tigers did not back down and slowly crept back into the game before taking a one-point lead 26-25 with five minutes left in the half. Ouachita extended its lead to as many as six before a jumper from Treylynn Tyler brought the Golden Suns within four, 38-34 going into halftime.
 
The third quarter looked much like the second, with the teams trading points early on. The Golden Suns took their first lead after a jumper from Lopez, 39-38 with 8:30 left in the quarter. Ouachita then took the lead back, 47-45 with 6:14 to go and did not trail in the quarter again. Another jumper from Tyler brought the Golden Suns within four before the Lady Tigers went up 61-53 going into the final period.
 
Ouachita grabbed their largest lead of 10, 63-53 in the first seconds of the fourth quarter. Arkansas Tech battled to get back into the game, pulling within two, 71-69 after free throws form Lopez with 3:45 left. A layup from Tyler tied things up 71-71 with 2:35 left in regulation. The Lady Tigers were up five with 23 seconds left before a jumper from Lopez and a three-pointer from Shipman in the last 15 seconds sent the game into overtime.
 
The Golden Suns wasted no time in the final five minutes, as free throws from Lopez gave Arkansas Tech its first lead. The Golden Suns never trailed in the overtime period, leading by as many as eight after a layup from Nikki Metcalfe, 89-81. The Lady Tigers pulled within three with less than a minute to play, but free throws from Sanders sealed the 94-89 victory.
 
Shipman and Sanders followed Lopez, both scoring 12 points. Metcalfe and Tyler joined in double-figure scoring with 11 and 10 respectively. Metcalfe grabbed seven rebounds and Lopez added six.