RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The No. 24-ranked Arkansas Tech men's basketball team wrapped up their opening weekend of action in emphatic style as they blew out visiting Newman University, 96-64, on Saturday afternoon inside Tucker Coliseum.
Pretty much from the opening tip, the Wonder Boys were on fire offensively as they raced out to a 9-0 lead through the first two minutes of action. Despite Newman battling back and tying the score twice in the first half at 17-all and 19-all, the Wonder Boys remained in firm control throughout.
Overall, they would shoot 57.9% (33-of-57) from the field, were 48% successful from three-point range (12-of-25) and shot 85% from the charity stripe (17-of-20).
After having that early 9-0 lead be chipped away at and the score being tied twice, the Wonder Boys answered back with a 15-0 run over the next three and a half minutes of action and never looked back. They would push their lead out as high as 20 points in the first half before going to halftime with a 17-point lead, 51-34.
In the second half, the Wonder Boys continued to score and maintained a high-level defensive effort as well. Through the first six minutes of the second half, the Wonder Boys swelled their lead out to 27 points.
At the 10:20 mark, Newman was able to cut the deficit below 20 points, but less than two minutes later, the Wonder Boys were back up by at least 20. They would reach a high-watermark lead of 31 points, 92-61, with 1:34 left on a jumper by
Ethan Edwards; his first collegiate points. Not long after, Edwards buried a three-pointer for the first of his career as well.
Four different Wonder Boys scored in double figures with
Cassius Brooks and
Jakob Zenon leading with 22 points each. The two would combine to make nine three-pointers.
Kade Shaffer was next with 15 points. He also notched his first double-double of the season as he dished out 10 assists.
Trey Allen rounded out double-figure scoring with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
The Wonder Boys will now prepare for a big road test next Saturday as they will take on nationally-ranked Dallas Baptist. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
