GAME INFORMATION
(2) ARKANSAS TECH WONDER BOYS 24-6 (18-4 GAC)	(4) SOUTHERN NAZARENE CRIMSON STORM 16-13 (11-11 GAC)
Sunday, March 10 | 1 p.m. FireLake Arena | Shawnee, Okla. LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | GAME NOTES

TIPPING OFF
The Arkansas Tech men's basketball team survived and advanced yet again in the semifinal round of the 2024 Great American Conference Tournament, placing them in the championship game for the second-straight year. By way of the result of the other semifinal game, the Wonder Boys will play for the tournament title against No. 4-seed Southern Nazarene.
 
This will be the 25th meeting all-time between Arkansas Tech and Southern Nazarene in a series that dates back to the 1983-84 season. Overall, Tech trails in the series, 9-15. Since the two became conference foes within the GAC prior to the 2012-13 season, the Wonder Boys are 8-14 against SNU.
 
This will be the third game between the Wonder Boys and Crimson Storm this season. The Crimson Storm swept the regular season series with a 78-77 win at home on January 13 and a 67-52 win at Tech on February 8.
 
Tip-off for Sunday's championship game is scheduled for 1 p.m. from FireLake Arena in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
 

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TECH(NICALLY) SPEAKING
The Wonder Boys ended the regular season 22-6 overall and 18-4 in the GAC to claim a share of the conference championship. By way of tie-breaker scenarios with Southeastern Oklahoma, the Wonder Boys are the No. 2-seed in the GAC Tournament.
 
Tech is in the championship game of the tournament for the second-straight year after coming away with another thrilling one-possession win, as they beat No. 3-seed Northwestern Oklahoma, 54-53, in the semifinal round on Saturday.
 
Statistically, the Wonder Boys average 73.6 ppg and rank fifth in the GAC. On the defensive end of the court, the Wonder Boys rank first in the league in scoring defense, giving up an average of 65.4 ppg. In terms of field goal percentage and field goal percentage defense, the Wonder Boys are sixth in the conference as they shoot at an overall clip of .463 (779-of-1,684) and limit their opponents to a .420 mark (654-of-1,556) to rank first.
 
From beyond-the-arc, the Wonder Boys shoot at a clip of .392 (265-of-676) to rank first in the GAC while their opponents make three-pointers at a mark of .354 (202-of-571) to rank seventh. From the free throw line, the Wonder Boys shoot .719 as a team (384-of-534) to rank fifth.
 
Individually, the Wonder Boys have three players averaging double figures in scoring and are led by Taelon Peter and his 19.3 ppg. Cassius Brooks and Tommy Kamarad are next in scoring at 12.6 ppg and 12.3 ppg, respectively.
 
Josh Mitchell is the team-leader in rebounding and is averaging 6.0 rebounds per game. In terms of assists, Kade Shaffer leads the team and is averaging 4.7 assists per game.
 
Defensively, the Wonder Boys are led in steals by Peter at 1.9 steals per game and in blocks by Mitchell at 1.8 blocks per game.
 
The Wonder Boys are coached by Mark Downey, who is in his fourth season back on the sidelines at Tech after a 10-year hiatus. In his first stint, Downey patrolled the sidelines at Tech for four seasons from 2006-07 - 2009-10. In his final season, Downey guided the Wonder Boys to a program-record 30 wins and during that season, the Wonder Boys were ranked No. 1 in NCAA DII for the first time ever.
 
In his time at Tech, which is now in its eighth season overall, Downey has amassed a 134-93 record. Overall, Downey is in his 17th season as a head coach and has career record of 300-199.
 

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SCOUTING THE CRIMSON STORM
Southern Nazarene ended the regular season 14-13 and 11-11 in GAC play to earn the No. 4-seed in the GAC Tournament. The Crimson Storm have advanced to the championship game with a 72-70 win against No. 5-seed Arkansas-Monticello in the quarterfinals and then pulling off an upset of top-seeded Southeastern Oklahoma, 86-72, in the semifinal round.
 
Statistically, the Crimson Storm average 72.1 ppg and rank seventh in the GAC. On the defensive end of the court, the Crimson Storm rank eighth in the league in scoring defense, giving up an average of 72.7 ppg. In terms of field goal percentage and field goal percentage defense, the Crimson Storm are third in the conference as they shoot at an overall clip of .471 (741-of-1,572) and limit their opponents to a .456 mark (759-of-1,664) to rank seventh.
 
From beyond-the-arc, the Crimson Storm shoot at a clip of .354 (188-of-531) to rank sixth in the GAC while their opponents make three-pointers at a mark of .334 (197-of-590) to rank third. From the free throw line, the Crimson Storm shoot .680 as a team (420-of-618) to rank 10th.
 
Individually, the Crimson Storm have four players averaging double figures in scoring and are led by Cam Slaymaker and his 16.2 ppg. Benno Zecic is next at 14.8 ppg followed by Ben Baker-McCann at 11.9 ppg. Jonas Visser rounds out double-figure scoring at 10.0 ppg.
 
Baker-McCann is the team-leader in rebounding and is averaging 6.6 rebounds per game. In terms of assists, Zecic leads the team and is averaging 5.7 assists per game.
 
Defensively, the Crimson Storm are led in steals by Zecic at 2.0 steals per game and in blocks by Keeshawn Mason at 0.7 blocks per game.
 
The Crimson Storm are coached by B.J. Foster, who is in his first season at Southern Nazarene and his seventh overall. In his time at SNU, Foster is 16-13 and has a 115-83 overall record.