WEATHERFORD, Okla. – The Arkansas Tech women's basketball team won their first Great American Conference game of the year on Saturday afternoon as they beat Southwestern Oklahoma on the road, 75-70.
A major key to the Golden Suns securing the win at SWOSU was their close of the first half and entirety of the third quarter. With the score tied at 24-all with just under a minute and a half to play before halftime, the Golden Suns scored the next four points of the game to take a lead. SWOSU was able to make a pair of free throws in the waning seconds of the second quarter to make it just a two-point Tech lead at the break.
Soon after play resumed in the third quarter, the Lady Bulldogs knotted the score at 28-all, but the Golden Suns immediately responded with an 8-0 run to give them their largest lead of the game to that point.
That run set the tone offensively for the Golden Suns in the third quarter. On a pair of occasions, they were able to push their lead out as high as 10 points and held that margin heading into the fourth. In the third quarter, the Golden Suns were extremely efficient in their scoring as they shot at a 64.7% clip making 11-of-17 shot attempts. Conversely, they were able to limit the Lady Bulldogs to just 30% shooting (6-of-20).
The momentum from the third quarter carried over in the early stages of the fourth quarter as the Golden Suns pushed their lead out as high as 15 8:27 left to play. SWOSU had a strong rally in them later and after trailing by 10 with 3:50 to go, cut that in half just over a minute later.
The Golden Suns were able to stem the tide of SWOSU and remained in the lead through the final buzzer. Things did get interesting at the end as the Lady Bulldogs had pulled within three points with less than 10 seconds left, but a pair of made free throws by
Hayleigh Wyrick on the ensuing possession put the game away and gave Tech the five-point victory.
Wyrick was the leading scorer for the Golden Suns as she scored 21 points in 28 minutes off the bench. The junior was 7-of-11 from the floor. Three other Golden Suns scored in double figures as
Julie Wagner had 15,
Olivia Jones 13 and
Dessie McCarty with 12. McCarty fell a rebound shy of her second-straight double.
Andie Zylak turned in a stellar defensive game as she had six blocks and three steals. She also added six rebounds (four defensive) and six assists.
The Golden Suns will now return home and prepare to host Henderson State on Thursday, December 12. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. from inside Tucker Coliseum.
