TIPPING OFF
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After splitting last weeks road games in Oklahoma, Arkansas Tech looks forward to the week ahead.
The Golden Suns will hit the road this week to play a pair of away games , this time staying within the state lines of Arkansas. Arkansas Tech finds themselves going head-to-head with Harding and Ouachita Baptist on Thursday and Saturday. The game in Searcy, Ark. against Harding is scheduled for a tip-off time of 5:30 p.m. on Thursday while the contest against Ouachita Baptist will be at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday in Arkadelphia, Ark.
With a 7-4 start to the year, the Golden Suns have shown that they are a team with a lot of resilience as they deal with some injuries that has left the team a little short handed on the bench. Their 90-84 win over Ouachita Baptist was their first challenge, with Ouachita freshmen Aspen Thornton dropping 43 points. They once again showed their ability to withstand pressure holding on to defeat Arkansas-Monticello on the road 72-66.
Against East Central, they were down by 7 at the half, but Tech went on to score 34 points in the third quarter for the second time this season to give them the edge and pull out the 70-59 victory.
The Golden Suns recently had their best performance of the season against Southern Nazarene on the road where they controlled the entire game and won 80-52. Three members of the Golden Suns hit double figures in scoring, all above 15 points or more. The team also shot a season high 60.0% (6-of-10) from three.
TECH TIDBITS
Arkansas Tech enters this weekend with a 7-4 overall record and a 4-3 record among conference opponents. Their last outing proved to be a tough loss on the road against Oklahoma Baptist as the Bison held the Golden Suns to just eight points in the fourth quarter to surge back in front and grab the victory on their own home floor.
Statistically, this year, the Golden Suns are averaging 76.9 ppg and rank fifth 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 68.7 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 .435 (306-of-703) and are limiting their opponents to a .386 mark (267-of-691) to rank fifth.Â
From beyond-the-arc, the Golden Suns are shooting at a clip of .314 (64-of-204) to rank ninth in the GAC while their opponents are making three-pointers at a mark of .302 (62-of-205) to rank fifth. From the free throw line, the Golden Suns are shooting .711 as a team (170-of-239) to rank seventh.
Individually, the Golden Suns have three players averaging double figures in scoring. Kaley Shipman leads the way at 19.1 ppg. Ashlei Lopez is next at 14.7 ppg. Rounding out the list of the double figure scorers for Arkansas Tech is Jayana Sanders who is averageing 14.4 ppg .
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 319-99.Â
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.
SCOUTING THE BISONS
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Harding enters Thursday's conference game at 8-5 overall with a 4-4 record in conference play and are coming off of a tough 51-66 loss at Southern Nazarene. Their last win was on the road against Oklahoma Baptist on January 6.
In the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, Harding finished 7-8 overall and 6-7 in conference to place third in the GAC East Division.
Statistically this season, the Bisons average 72.7 ppg on offense to rank seventh in the GAC and give up an average of 71.6 ppg to rank eighth in the GAC. In terms of field goal percentages, HU shoots at a .417 clip overall (340-of-816) to rank seventh and is allowing opponents to shoot at a mark of .421 (340-of-807) to rank tenth.Â
From three-point range, the Bisons shoot at a .268 clip (62-of-231) to rank 11th in the GAC and are allowing their opponents to shoot .317 (76-of-240) from range to rank ninth. At the charity stripe, the Bisons shoot .660 (204-of-309) to rank last in the GAC.
Individually, the Bisons have three players scoring in double figures and are led by Sage Hawley with 17.9 ppg and Hannah Collins averaging 14.9 ppg. Closing out the double figure scorers for Harding is Jacie Evans with a 10.4 ppg average on the season.
The Bisons are coached by Tim Kirby, who is in his 17th season at Harding. In his time as a head coach at Harding, Kirby has amassed a 314-158 record at the helm of the Bisons program.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
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Ouachita Baptist enters Saturday's conference game at 5-6 overall with a 3-4 record in conference play and are coming off a 67-63 home win against Oklahoma Baptist .
In the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, Ouachita Baptist finished 4-5 overall and 3-4 in conference to place fourth in the GAC East.
Statistically this season, the Tigers average 79.3 ppg on offense to rank fourth in the GAC and give up an average of 74.2 ppg to rank tenth in the GAC. In terms of field goal percentages, OBU shoots at a .406 clip overall (275-of-678) to rank ninth and is allowing opponents to shoot at a mark of .389 (253-of-651) to rank sixth.Â
From three-point range, the Tigers shoot at a .392 clip (79-of-240) to rank seventh in the GAC and are allowing their opponents to shoot .273 (47-of-172) from range to rank second. At the charity stripe, the Tigers shoot .710 (164-of-231) to rank eighth in the GAC.
Individually, the Tigers have three players scoring in double figures and are led by freshman Aspen Thornton who leads all of Division II in scoring with 26.5 ppg and Makayla Miller averaging 15.9 ppg. Rounding out the double figure scorers for Ouachita Baptist is Laney Mears who is currently averaging 11.5 ppg.
The Tigers are coached by Robert Dallimore, who is in his third season at Ouachita Baptist. In his time as the Tigers head coach, Dallimore has a 13-35 overall record.
