MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The Golden Suns grit was on full display for the second consecutive game, as Arkansas Tech took down the Lady Muleriders of Southern Arkansas, 96-90 in their regular season road finale. Ashlei Lopez led the Golden Suns yet again with 20 points followed closely by Kaley Shipman with 19.

The Golden Suns scored the first four points of the game from layups from Ashlei Lopez and Jayana Sanders. The Lady Muleriders went on an 11-0 run to take a 11-4 lead with 5:23 left in the first quarter of play. A layup from Jalei Oglesby stopped the run but Southern Arkansas maintained at least a three-point lead, ending the quarter up 19-16.

Arkansas Tech grabbed the first four of first six points of the quarter, pulling within two 22-20 with 7:57 to go. Another layup from Sanders tied things at 24-24 before both teams went two minutes without scoring. A layup from Nikki Metcalfe gave Arkansas Tech its first lead since the opening quarter, 30-27. A last second layup from the Lady Muleriders gave them a 39-35 lead going into halftime.

Southern Arkansas used a 6-0 run to start the third quarter before a layup from Kaley Shipman with 8:25 left gave Arkansas Tech their first points of the half, 43-37. The Golden Suns stayed within reach after another layup from Sanders pulled the team within three, 52-49 with 5:41 to go in the third. Oglesby scored on a layup to take the first lead of the second half, 61-60 with 2:13 left in the quarter. The Golden Suns went back-to-back three-pointers from Hannah Villines and Lopez to take a 71-65 lead going into the final quarter.

Free throws from Oglesby stretched the lead to eight with 8:35 to go in the game. The Lady Muleriders pulled within one, 77-76 with less than five minutes to go. A layup from Lopez put the Golden Suns back up eight, 86-78 with 2:58 left in the final quarter. The Muleriders stormed back with two consecutive three-pointers to tie things up 90-90 in the final minute. Free throws and a last second layup from Shipman sealed the Golden Suns 96-90 win.

The Golden Suns had five players score in double-digit, Lopez and Shipman, followed by Sanders with 16, Villines with 11 and Oglesby with 10. Lopez grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and the Golden Suns lit up the offensive boards, grabbing a season-high 22 offensive rebounds to account for 13 second-chance points. As a team, Arkansas Tech shot 48 percent from the field and 50 percent from behind the arc.