MONTICELLO, Ark. – The Arkansas Tech women's basketball team fell just short on the road at Arkansas-Monticello on Saturday afternoon as they lost 63-60 in overtime.
After an opening quarter that saw UAM hit a trio of three-pointers to give them a three-point lead, 17-14, the Golden Suns out-scored the Cotton Blossoms 14-7 in the second quarter to give Tech a four-point lead at the break.
Prior to that halftime lead, the Golden Suns trailed by three with 3:52 to go. Shortly thereafter, the Golden Suns started a 7-0 run on a three-pointer from
AbbiGrace Cunningham. The run would end at the 2:08 mark on a pair of free throws by
Hayleigh Wyrick. That four-point lead was the largest of the first half for the Golden Suns.
In the third quarter, the Golden Suns were able to push their lead out to six points on a pair of occasions. The last of those came at the 1:26 mark of the third thanks to a three-pointer by Wyrick. Unfortunately, the Cotton Blossoms answered right back with a three of their own. That trey ended up sparking a 7-0 run to close out the quarter, giving UAM a one-point lead, 41-40.
The fourth quarter was played extremely tight and was back-and-forth. Over the final 10 minutes of action, the lead changed hands five times and there were a pair of tie scores. During the period, the largest lead for either team was just three points.
The final tie of the period ended up being the one to send the game to overtime as the Cotton Blossoms hit a painted jumper as time expired.
Overtime remained closely played as the largest lead of the extra period would end up being just three points. With 1:16 left, the Golden Suns grabbed their first lead of overtime on a three-pointer by
Olivia Jones. Unfortunately, the Cotton Blossoms once more had an immediate answer and knocked down a three of their own on the ensuing possession to retake the lead.
That ended up being the final lead change of the game as the Cotton Blossoms were able to hold on for the three-point win, 63-60.
The Golden Suns had a pair of players score in double figures and were led by Jones and her 21 points. Jones was 7-of-11 overall from the floor and 4-of-6 from three-point range. Cunningham was next in scoring with 13 points.
The Golden Suns will now prepare for a long-awaited return home as they are set to host Southwestern Oklahoma on Thursday, January 30. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. from Tucker Coliseum.
