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GOLDEN SUNS USE 53-POINT SECOND HALF TO EXTEND WIN
STREAK TO 15 WITH ROAD VICTORY AT HARDING
SEARCY,
Arkansas
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Arkansas Tech
Women’s Basketball needed a strong second-half effort to
collect its 15th consecutive win here Thursday as the
24th-ranked Golden Suns earned an 88-80 victory over
Harding in Gulf South Conference action at Rhodes
Fieldhouse.
Tech, who improved to 15-2 on the season and 4-0 in the
GSC, outscored the Lady Bisons 53-39 to earn the win and
remain one of two undefeated teams in the West Division
along with No. 1 ranked Delta State.
“Both teams gutted it out tonight, it was a battle for
40 minutes,” Tech Head Coach Dave Wilbers said.
“It was a heavyweight fight; we took some punches and
gave some punches.
“What I liked about our basketball team is we were able
to make some plays down the stretch.”
Tech, which trailed 41-35 at the half, opened the second
half outscoring Harding, 32-19 to take a 67-60 lead with
a little less than eight minutes remaining in the game.
Tech’s run was aided by 12 points from senior center
Ruby Vaden (Blytheville, Ark.) and eight points from
junior forward Amanda Grappe (Benton, Ark.).
Vaden, who scored 14 points in the second half, finished
the game with 16 points and 16 rebounds to collect her
fifth double-double in the last six games and sixth
double-double on the season.
Following Tech’s run, Harding (12-5 overall, 2-2 GSC)
used a 9-2 run to force at tie at 69 with 4:10 left in
the game. Following the ninth and final tie of the game,
Tech used a 14-4 run to push its lead to 83-73 with 1:23
remaining in the game. The run was keyed by six points
from sophomore guard Ashley Grappe (Benton, Ark.)
and 22-foot three-pointer from her sister, Amanda. After
Harding pulled within 83-75 on a lay-up by Stacey Owens
with 1:17 left in the game, the Golden Suns closed out
the game by hitting five of six free throws to make the
final margin.
“This was a good conference win for our basketball
team,” the first-year Tech coach said. “I seemed like
that every time we needed a make a play, we made a
play.”
Senior forward Krishna Baker (Little Rock, Ark.),
this week’s GSC West Division Player of the Week, helped
keep Tech in the game in the first half as she tallied
14 of her game-high 23 points and had seven of her 10
boards before halftime.
“Our inside play with Ruby and Krishna was dominant
tonight,” Wilbers said. “In addition, Amanda Grappe
played like an All-GSC performer in the second half.”
In
addition to Baker and Vaden’s double-doubles, Ashley
Grappe had 17 points seven assists and four steals,
while Amanda Grappe and sophomore guard Brittany
Gottsponer (Morrilton, Ark.) each added 15 points in
the win.
Tech needed Baker’s offense in the first half as Harding
jumped out to a 22-15 lead just a little over 12 minutes
into the contest. Following Harding’s early lead, Tech
used a 9-2 run keyed by four points from Baker and five
points from Ashley Grappe to force a tie at 24. The Lady
Bisons, though, would respond as they closed the first
half on a 17-11 run to go into halftime with its
six-point lead. Harding’s first half closing run was
aided by five three pointers from by five different
players.
“Harding did a good job, especially shooting
the ball in the first half,” Wilbers said.
Harding was led offensively by Kelsey Lyda’s
19 points as she connected on 6-of-8 three-pointers for
the game, while Kristen Donnell and Catherine McMenamy
added 16 points apiece.
For the game, Tech shot 53 percent from the
field and 57 percent (8-for-14) from the 3-point line
and held a 41-30 edge on the glass, while Harding shot
43 percent from the floor and 41 percent (12-for-29)
from downtown and forced 20 turnovers that led to 21
points.
Tech will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 26, when
they play host to Arkansas-Monticello in a 4 p.m.
contest at Tucker Coliseum. UAM will enter the game with
a 9-8 record and a 2-2 GSC mark after collecting a 79-69
win Thursday at home over Henderson State.
Harding Box Score
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Tech Athletics -- |