GAME DAY INFORMATION
ARKANSAS TECH WONDER BOYS 5-5 (3-5 GAC)	HARDING BISONS 3-5 (3-5 GAC)
Monday, February 8 | 7:30 p.m. Russellville, Ark. | Tucker Coliseum LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | LISTEN LIVE | ATU NOTES (PDF)

TIPPING OFF 

The Arkansas Tech men's basketball team is back in action tonight as they are set to play host to Harding on the Great American Conference's Rivalry Night. This will be the second meeting of the season between the Wonder Boys and Bisons with the first being a double overtime classic at Harding on January 25. 

The Wonder Boys emerged victorious from that double overtime game thanks, in part, to an offensive explosion by Cejay Mann. Prior to the overtime periods, Mann had just two points in the game. At the conclusion of both overtimes, Mann had a team-high 21 points. All but three of those points came in the second overtime alone as he also scored all but three of the Wonder Boys' total points. 

That win was the Wonder Boys' second-straight victory in overtime and figured to carry some momentum to the upcoming slate of games, but Tech's next three games were canceled due to COVID-19 protocols.

Emerging from those canceled games, the Wonder Boys have played a pair of games and have dropped both, losing to Henderson State at home, 61-53 and on the road at UAM, 67-62. 

In the loss to Henderson at home, the Wonder Boys overcame an early 14-0 deficit and claimed a lead as late as the 7:29 mark of the second half. The offense would go cold from that point on, however, and Henderson was able to pull away for the eventual eight-point win. 

At UAM, the Wonder Boys got a jolt of offense by Ke'Lyn Adams as he went on to score a career-high 24 points. Overall as a team, the Wonder Boys also were efficient as they shot 51% overall, but ultimately UAM was able to fend off the Wonder Boys enough for a five-point victory.

TECH TIDBITS 

The Wonder Boys enter play on Thursday with a 5-5 record and a 3-5 mark in the GAC. As a team, the Wonder Boys are averaging 70.8 ppg and rank ninth in the GAC. On the defensive end of the court, the Wonder Boys rank sixth in the league in scoring defense, giving up an average of 71.7 ppg. In terms of field goal percentage and field goal percentage defense, the Wonder Boys are seventh in the conference as they are shooting at an overall clip of .430 (250-of-581) and are limiting opponents to a .419 mark (244-of-583) to rank fourth. From beyond-the-arc, the Wonder Boys shoot at a clip of .365 (96-of-263) to rank fourth in the GAC while their opponents are making three-pointers at a mark of .310 (76-of-245) to rank third. From the free throw line, the Wonder Boys are shooting .655 as a team (112-of-171) to rank 10th. 

Individually, the Wonder Boys have three players averaging double figures in scoring. True freshman Cejay Mann leads the way at 12.6 ppg Senior Tony Hall is next at 11.1 ppg and Ke'Lyn Adams rounds out double-figure scoring at 10.9 ppg. 

The Wonder Boys are coached by Mark Downey, who is in his first season back on the sidelines at Tech after a 10-year hiatus. Previously, Downey patrolled the sidelines at Tech for four seasons. In his final season, Downey guided the Wonder Boys to a program-record 30 wins and during the course of that season, the Wonder Boys were ranked No. 1 in NCAA DII for the first time ever. 

In his time at Tech, which is now in its fifth season, Downey has amassed an 82-48 record. Overall, Downey is in his 14th season as a head coach and has career record of 248-154. 

SCOUTING THE BISONS 

Harding enters their game against the Wonder Boys 3-5 overall and 3-5 in the GAC. Since their last meeting with Tech, the Bisons only played twice and had three-straight games canceled due to COVID-19 protocols. In their games that were played, the Bisons went 1-1 winning on the road at Arkansas-Monticello, 79-69, and then losing at home to Ouachita, 71-62. 

In their most-recent game, the Bisons' top-two scorers were held to just 20 combined points. Coming into the game, that duo averaged over 20.0 ppg each. The Bisons also shot below their season averages overall and from three-point range, going 35% overall and 26% from deep. 

Statistically, the Bisons are averaging 76.4 ppg on offense to rank third in the GAC and are giving up an average of 80.1 ppg to rank 12th in the GAC. In terms of field goal percentages, Harding is shooting at a .429 clip overall (210-of-490) to rank eighth and are allowing opponents to shot at a mark of .455 (232-of-510) to rank ninth. From three-point range, the Bisons shoot at a .343 clip (80-of-233) to rank eighth in the GAC and are allowing opponents to shoot .375 (63-of-168) from range to rank 10th. At the charity stripe, the Bisons shoot .750 (111-of-148) to rank second in the GAC. 

Individually, the Bisons have four players scoring in double figures and are led by Ramiro Santiago at 19.5 ppg. Romio Harvey is next in scoring at 17.9 ppg. Santiago and Harvey are also the two-top scorers in the GAC. James Harris and Jordan West round out double-figure scoring for the Bisons at 13.0 ppg and 10.3 ppg, respectively. 

The Bisons are coached by Jeff Morgan, who is in his 28th season at Harding. In his time as a head coach at Harding, Morgan has amassed a 432-343 record. He has led the Bisons to a winning record in 21 seasons and has won 20 or more games six times. Overall, Morgan is in his 29th season as a head coach and has a career record of 450-354.