RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – For the seventh consecutive season, the Arkansas Tech Golden Suns advance to the Great American Conference championship tournament semifinals after taking down East Central, 86-62. The Golden Suns moved to 14-1 overall with the win. Jalei Oglesby paced Arkansas Tech with 19 followed by Ashlei Lopez with 18.
The Golden Suns opened the game with a 5-0 run after Lopez drove the lane and picked up two free throws in the first five seconds of the game and Hannah Villines drilled a three with 8:03 to play. Arkansas Tech continued to push the lead, going up 11, 13-2, off a Lopez jumper. East Central cut the lead to five, 13-8 before Arkansas Tech grabbed their last basket of the quarter, going up 15-8. Neither team scored in the last two minutes of the first quarter.
Back-to-back threes from Villines and Kaley Shipman gave the Golden Suns a 23-8 lead opening the second quarter. Defensive pressure from Arkansas Tech kept the Tigers at bay, only allowing them to score 10 points in the quarter. Two consecutive jumpers from Sydnee Wynn put the Golden Suns up 24, 42-18 going into halftime.
Shipman connected on a three from Jayana Sanders to open the second half, giving the Golden Suns a 27 point lead, 45-18 with nine minutes to play in the third. The teams traded baskets throughout the quarter, with East Central pulling within 20, 62-42 before a three-pointer from Trelynn Tyler put the Golden Suns up 25, 67-42. The Tigers grabbed a quick jumper before the horn, trailing 67-44 going into the final quarter.
East Central scored three quick baskets to start the fourth, pulling within 19, 67-48 but the Golden Suns answered with another Lopez' layup and a three from Oglesby to go up 26, 76-50. A layup from Anna Myers sealed the Golden suns 86-62 victory.
Villines joined Oglesby and Lopez in double-figures, scoring 11, followed by Shipman with 11. Sanders dished out six assists and Nikki Metcalfe and Wynn grabbed eight rebounds. The Golden Suns shot 42 percent from the field, going 31-of-71.
ECU Recap