RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas Tech women's basketball team opened up their 2023-24 season in impressive fashion as they cruised to an 89-61 win over Champion Christian inside Tucker Coliseum on Saturday night.
The regular season opener for the Golden Suns was never in doubt as they lead wire-to-wire. With that, the Golden Suns were impressive in their effort, especially early. Tech would open the game on a 9-0 run through the first two minutes or so of action and pushed the lead to double-digits at the 6:42 mark of the first quarter.
The margin would of lead for the Golden Suns would only go on to grow as the closed out the first quarter with a 16-point lead, 32-16.
In the second quarter, the Tigers would push to get the deficit to single digits and got as close as 11 points, but the Golden Suns maintained the comfortable lead and cruised into the break with a 15-point lead, 50-35.
The third quarter was really where the Golden Suns were able to put some serious distance between them and the Tigers. In that period, the Golden Suns would out-score the Tigers 22-5, ballooning the lead out to 30-plus points.
That would consistently be margin of a lead that the Golden Suns would enjoy throughout most of the fourth quarter, but a late bucket by Champion Christian near the end of the game clock made the final gap 28 points, 89-61.
Overall, the Golden Suns would shoot 40.8% from the field in the game (29-of-71) and were 7-of-23 (30.4%) from three-point range. Where the Golden Suns more than excelled at as a team was from the charity stripe as they missed just two of their 26 attempts for the game.
All 13 available players saw action in the game and 11 scored at least one point. Four players reached double figures with Haleigh Wyrick and
Pacious McDaniel tying for the team-lead in points with 19 each.
For Wyrick, a sophomore from Pearcy, the 19 points set a new career-high, bettering her 17-point effort against Arkansas-Monticello last December. For McDaniel, the 19 points came in the Springdale native's collegiate debut.
Alex Hill and
ClaraGrace Prater were the other two in double figures with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
The Golden Suns will now prepare for another home game next week as they are set to host Pittsburg State on Thursday, November 16. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
