ADA, Okla. - The Arkansas Tech women's basketball team continues their streak of hot play as they dominate East Central 87-59 on the road to pick up their third straight win and remain unbeaten on the road against Great American Conference opponents. Following this afternoon's win, the Golden Suns move to 7-3 overall and hold a 5-1 record against GAC opponents.
The Golden Suns would strike first as
Jalei Oglesby knocked down the first shot of the game giving them a lead, in which Tech would never lose for the remainder of the game. Oglesby herself led the charge for the Golden Suns as she put up a strong double-double on the afternoon against the Tigers with 22 total points and 15 rebounds.
Most importantly about Oglesby afternoon was her efficiency shooting the ball. For the game, Oglesby shot 60% (6-of-10) from field goal range and greatly boosted the Golden Suns effectiveness from the free throw line sinking a perfect 10-of-10 shots from the charity stripe.
Defensively, the Golden Suns once again commanded their opponent holding them to just a 26.2% (17-of-65) clip from field goal range and 26.1% (6-of-23) from beyond-the-arc. The third quarter in particular was especially impressive on the defensive end as the Golden Suns only allowed one made shot and no three-pointers for the Tigers. They held East Central to just single digits in scoring in both the first and third quarters of play.
The Golden Suns also did a phenomenal job on the rebounding battle grabbing 50 total boards to East Central's 29. In terms of defensive rebounding, Arkansas Tech grabbed total control with 40 total defensive rebounds, while the Tigers managed to grab just 18 of them. With East Central's struggles to collect a defensive board, the Golden Suns were able to convert 17 total second chance points on the afternoon to take advantage of their opponent on the boards.
Offensively, the Golden Suns were getting buckets from all over the place as both starters and key bench role players alike came alive to score the ball. Arkansas Tech ended the game with a solid 40 bench points against the Tigers which saw two score in double figures.
While their defensive play in the third quarter was excellent, their offensive prowess was just as good as the team erupted for 30 total points in the third quarter alone. Leading the third quarter charge on offense was Oglesby with 10 points, while
Kaley Shipman scored five with two key layups and a 1-of-1 trip to the line following an and one opportunity off the foul by East Central on a made layup.
The Golden Suns also saw made baskets from
Alex Hill,
Dana Thompson,
ClaraGrace Prater,
Jaki Rollins and a last second three-pointer to beat the buzzer by
Hayleigh Wyrick to round out the bucket getters in the hot offensive display in the third quarter.
The fourth quarter was just as explosive as Prater and Wyrick led the charge with eight and seven total points scored in the fourth quarter, respectively. Prater's 12 total points off the bench sets a new career-high mark for the Vilonia, Ark. native.
Overall, the Golden Suns finished the fourth quarter with 24 points and scored a combined 54 points in the second half of action against East Central.
Individually, the Golden Suns saw five total players hit double figures in scoring. As previously mentioned, Oglesby led the team with her 22 point double-double, but also collected three steals on the afternoon. The trio of Shipman, Wyrick and Prater followed Oglesby with 12 points each. All three shot well from field goal range with Shipman going 5-of-8, Wyrick going 3-of-7 and Prater knocking down 4-of-8.
Rounding out the leading scorers for the Golden Suns was
Alex Hill with 10 points against the Tigers. Hill, like Oglesby, was a major contributor at the line for the Golden Suns hitting a near perfect 6-of-7 of her attempts from the line. The Harrison, Ark. native also helped control the offense with four assists in the game and came up with one blocked shot.
The Golden Suns will return home for their next GAC game as they host Southern Nazarene next Thursday night. The game against the Crimson Storm is set for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off next Thursday evening in Tucker Coliseum.
