RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – A lengthy break in action over the Christmas holiday did not appear to have any impact on the Arkansas Tech men's basketball team as they emerged from their 18-day sabbatical to blowout East Central by a score of 76-43 on Thursday night inside Tucker Coliseum.
The emphatic win stretches the Wonder Boys' overall winning streak to nine games and keeps them unbeaten both at home (6-0) and in Great American Conference action (5-0).
Against the Tigers, the dominance by the Wonder Boys was on full display from the opening tip. Tech would an early 6-0 lead and quickly stretched it to a double-digit advantage before ending the first half with a 21-point lead, 35-14.
The 14 first-half points allowed by the Wonder Boys were the fewest they have allowed this season, edging out the previous low output of 16 points by Arkansas Baptist back on December 12. Holding ECU to that low first-half total resulted from a Wonder Boys' defensive effort that held the Tigers to just 26% shooting overall from the floor (6-of-23) and 10% from three-point range (1-of-10).
Conversely, the Wonder Boys were pretty efficient in their offensive attack in the first half and shot 48% overall from the floor (14-of-29) which included 42% success from beyond the arc (5-of-12).
In the second half, the Wonder Boys remained in complete control and by the 5:17 mark had pushed their lead out to 30 points, 66-36, thanks to a three-pointer by
Tommy Kamarad. The lead would get as large as 34 points on several occasions down the stretch before the game ended with Tech winning by 33, 76-43.
The 33-point margin of victory was the second-highest for the Wonder Boys this season and marks the third-straight win by at least double-digits.
Statistically, the Wonder Boys were led by Taleon Peter as he completely filled up his stat sheet. Peter would lead the team in scoring with 23 points on 7-of-9 shooting overall which included 3-of-3 success from long range and 6-of-7 from the charity stripe. He also would lead the team in rebounds (7), steals (5) and assists (4).
In addition to Peter, the Wonder Boys had two other players reach double figures in scoring as
Cassius Brooks had 13 points and Kamarad with 12.
The Wonder Boys will now prepare for another top-tier GAC game at home as they play Southeastern Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon. Southeastern enters that game at 4-1 in GAC play and was picked to win the conference regular season in the preseason coaches poll. Tip-off for the game is scheduled for approximately 3 p.m. from Tucker Coliseum.
