SEARCY, Ark.- The Arkansas Tech women's basketball team fell to Harding 64-68 in overtime in Searcy on Monday night after a late fourth quarter rally that tied the game at the end of regulation. Following the game, the Golden Suns are 13-9 overall with an 11-7 record in Great American Conference play.
Getting the offense going in the first quarter for Arkansas Tech was Jalei Oglesby and Dana Thompson who each attacked the rack for strong layups inside that gave Tech an early 4-2 lead over Harding.Â
For much of the first quarter, the Golden Suns and Bisons went back and forth trading buckets and swapping the lead four total times. With the opening period of action winding down, Kaley Shipman and Oglesby came up with a pair of two-point baskets to put the Golden Suns back on top 13-10 with 1:05 left to play in the first.Â
Sarah Edmondson would give Tech some extra insurance at the end of the quarter going 1-for-2 at the line to give them a 14-12 lead heading into the second quarter.
While Thompson would score the first basket of the quarter for either side, the Bisons proceeded to go on a 9-0 run to take a 21-16 lead. Alex Hill would get the Golden Suns back on track coming away with a steal on defense that led to a pass up the floor to Julie Wagner who attacked the basket and got the layup off the glass to fall on the fastbreak.Â
The steal by Hill sparked the Golden Suns to an 8-0 run that was capped off by ClaraGrace Prater burying a triple from beyond-the-arc off the dish from Hill to put the Golden Suns back on top 24-21 with 3:24 left to play in the first half.Â
The Golden Suns continued to hold the lead for the remainder of the half and headed into the locker room at the break up 28-27 over Harding.
Oglesby started the second half scoring strong for Arkansas Tech making the first three shots of the half for her team to keep them ahead. After a missed two-point shot by Hayleigh Wyrick, Oglesby would come away with the offensive board and kick it out to Shipman who pulled up and drilled a shot from three to give the Golden Suns a four-point lead with 3:22 left to go in the third quarter of play.Â
Once again, the Golden Suns would retain their lead for the rest of the quarter and head into the fourth holding a 41-37 lead over the Bisons.
The Bisons would claw their way back to start the quarter tying the game at 43-43. Wagner would put Tech back in front with a two-point basket, but after a 2-of-2 trip to the line for Harding that tied the game, they would find and make a three-pointer that would give them the 48-45 lead over Tech at the midpoint of the quarter.
That stretch of scoring for Harding became a 10-0 run that saw the Bisons take an eight point lead over Tech with 3:20 left to play in the game.Â
With the clock now at 2:26 left in the game, the Golden Suns would put together a late push to try and get back in the game.Â
Oglesby would start the push with a two-point basket. Then on defense, Thompson would deny Sage Hawley of Harding at the rim for a huge block that forced the Bisons to foul Arkansas Tech to send Shipman to the line. Shipman would go 2-for-2 to make it a five-point game at 50-55 with 1:29 left to play.Â
Hill would be the one to bring the Golden Suns back into the game starting with a successful 2-of-2 trip at the line to make it a one possession game trailing by three. On defense, the Golden Suns would foul Hawley who would miss both shots at the line to give Tech one more possession on offense to try and extend the game.Â
Following the timeout by Tech to advance the ball, they would run their offense and find an open Hill on the wing who knocked down the big time clutch triple to tie the game 55-55 with six seconds left. The game would advance to the overtime period after Tech came up with two huge defensive stops on the Bisons on the other end of the floor at the end of regulation.
To begin overtime, the Bisons would score the first two buckets to take a four point lead, but Hill would find herself another basket with a layup off the glass to make it a one possession game. After another two-point basket for Harding, Oglesby would keep the game within two-points as she made two freebies at the line after a foul.
From here, both the Golden Suns and Bisons would trade two-point blows back and forth for the next five straight baskets between both teams. Ultimately, with just 30 seconds left in the game, the Golden Suns would run out of time leading to Harding barely escaping with the 68-64 overtime win.Â
Leading the Golden Suns in the game was Oglesby who recorded her sixth 20-point double-double of the season dropping 25 points to go alongside 13 rebounds against the Bisons. Oglesby also shot well hitting 10-of-19 from field goal range and going a near perfect 5-of-6 at the line. The Howe, Okla. native also dished out four assists, came away with two steals and blocked a shot in her outing.Â
The other leader for Arkansas Tech in the game was Hill who tied her second highest scoring output of the season with 17 total points, which included the clutch triple from long range in the fourth quarter that sent the game into overtime. Hill also added five rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block to her effort in the contest.Â
The Golden Suns wrap up their long stretch of road games and will return to Tucker Coliseum for their next game against Northwestern Oklahoma. The game against the Rangers is set for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off in Tucker Coliseum on Thursday evening.
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