Arkansas Tech University found its shooting touch from 3-point range in the second half and came from behind for a 78-73 Great American Conference men’s basketball victory over Southern Arkansas University at the W.T. Watson Athletic Center in Magnolia on Saturday afternoon.
After missing 15 of their first 19 tries from beyond the arc, the Wonder Boys (13-10 overall, 8-9 GAC) made 10 of their next 13 3-point attempts.
That flurry of perimeter shooting allowed Arkansas Tech to bounce back from an 11-point deficit early in the second half and win for the fourth time in its last six games.
Tech finished 14-of-34 (42 percent) from 3-point range as it strengthened its position for one of the eight spots in the GAC Tournament March 3-6 in Bartlesville, Okla.
“I thought we were getting good looks early,” said Wonder Boys head coach Chad Kline. “I’d like for us to not settle for so many threes, but SAU is so big. It’s hard to get all the way to the goal. Even when we were down 11, I didn’t see panic on our guys’ faces. That’s where we’ve gotten better as a team.”
Arkansas Tech went in front for good at 57-55 on a Freddy Lee 3-pointer with 8:13 remaining. The Wonder Boys held on by making 4-of-5 free throws over the final 40.4 seconds.
Tyler Corley scored a game-high 20 points for the Wonder Boys. Lee finished with 17 points, Nick Wayman notched 14 points and Bryson Fletcher had 10 points for Arkansas Tech.
C.J. Elkins had a team-high 15 points for Southern Arkansas (12-11, 9-8).
The Wonder Boys and Harding University will meet for a 7:30 p.m. GAC contest in Searcy on Monday, Feb. 15. Radio station KCJC 102.3 FM and www.arkansastechsports.com will have live coverage.
