GOLDEN SUNS OPEN NCAA DIVISION II SOUTH REGIONAL WITH FIRST ROUND VICTORY OVER TUSKEGEE, ADVANCE TO SEMIFINALS

        CLEVELAND, Mississippi – 13th-ranked Arkansas Tech Women’s Basketball opened up play here in the 2008 NCAA Division II South Regional Tournament by using a strong second-half effort to post an 82-61 win over Tuskegee in first round action at Walter Sillers Coliseum on the Delta State University campus.

The 82 points scored by Tech were the most scored by the Golden Suns in an NCAA Tournament game since scoring 84 points against Arkansas-Monticello in the finals of the 1998 NCAA D-II South Regional in Russellville.

Tech, who improved to 26-5 overall on the season and 6-0 all-time in NCAA Tournament first round games, used 61 percent shooting from the field and a 22-14 edge on the glass in the second half to turn a 29-24 halftime lead into a 21-point victory.

“That was by far the best half of the year for our basketball team,” Golden Suns Head Coach Dave Wilbers said about his team’s second-half play. “We locked down on defense and we made shots on offense. It was the best offensive execution we’ve had all season.”

Leading 47-38 with a little over eight minutes remaining, Tech went on a 19-5 run to push out to a 66-43 lead. During the run, Tech scored on 10 consecutive possessions, capping the run on a three-pointer from senior forward Daiane Domingos (Sao Paulo, Brazil) with 8:03 remaining.

The Tigerettes, who ended the season 21-9 overall on the season, cut Tech’s lead to 68-49 following back-to-back three-pointers from Keyonnia Cook, but would get no closer as the Golden Suns closed the game outscoring the SIAC regular season and tournament champion Tuskegee, 14-12 to make the final margin and advance to the regional semifinals for the second consecutive season and the seventh time in school history.

“Tuskegee is a good team and they guarded us well for most of the game, but we were able to get some transition baskets and break down their defense and hit some shots,” Wilbers said. “Our rebounding was another key today. I thought we did a good limiting their (Tuskegee’s) ability to get second shots. I liked our game plan.”

Junior forward Amanda Grappe (Benton, Ark.) continued her hot play in the postseason as she tallied a game-high 31 points and added seven rebounds. The 31 points set a new Tech single-game NCAA Tournament scoring mark. The previous record was 28 points, which was set by former Golden Suns Chanovia Rhodes against Fort Valley State in 2002. Through four postseason games, Grappe has scored 107 points and is averaging 26.8 points per contest.

In addition to Grappe’s 31 points, senior forward Krishna Baker (Little Rock, Ark.) and Domingos each added 19 points in the win, while Baker pulled down a game-high nine boards. All of Domingos’ points were scored in the second half.

Tuskegee was paced by Brittany Evans’ 17 points and 15 points from Aisha Johnson.

In the first half, TU scored the game’s first five points and led 8-7 just five into the contest when Grappe hit a jumper at the 14:32 mark to give the Golden Suns its first lead at 9-8. The Tigerettes, though, used a 12-8 run to push out to a 20-17 lead with 8:26 remaining in the half, before Tech used ended the half outscoring Tuskegee, 12-4 to go into halftime with its 29-24 lead.

“I was really proud of the way our team battled back from a slow start,” the first-year Tech coach said. “They (Tuskegee) hit some shots early and did a good job on defense.”

For the game, Tech shot 51 percent from the field, but hit on just 6 of its 21 three-pointers and was 14-for-18 (78 percent) from the free throw line. Meanwhile, Tuskegee finished the game shooting 40 percent from the field, 32 percent from long distance and 50 percent (3-for-6) from the free throw line. In addition, Tech held a 43-28 edge on the glass and outscored the Tigerettes, 44-18 in the paint.  

The Golden Suns will return to action on Saturday, March 15, when they face 17th-ranked Valdosta State in the regional semifinals. Tip-off for Saturday’s game is set for 6 p.m. at Walter Sillers Coliseum. Valdosta State reached the regional semifinals with its 83-73 win over Tampa in Friday's first round.

Tuskegee Box Score

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