Golden Suns’ Win Streak Reaches Seven

A 10-0 run to end the first half sent nationally 13th-ranked Arkansas Tech University to a 69-51 Great American Conference women’s basketball victory over Southeastern Oklahoma State University at Tucker Coliseum in Russellville on Thursday night.

The Golden Suns (8-1 overall, 4-1 GAC) made just 10 of their first 33 field goal tries, but they shook off any rust from a month-long holiday break by making five consecutive shots to close the first half.

Cheyenne North sparked the spurt with a layup at the 1:52 mark of the second quarter. Anissa Pounds and Kylie Ladd followed with baskets of their own. North scored again and Kelsey McClure made a layup at the second quarter buzzer to give Tech a 34-21 lead at halftime.

The Golden Suns carried that momentum over to the second half, outscoring the Savage Storm 11-3 over the first four minutes of the third quarter to open a 45-24 advantage.

Southeastern Oklahoma State made a fourth-quarter push to pull within 62-51 with 2:05 remaining, but Arkansas Tech closed the game on a 7-0 run to complete its seventh consecutive victory.

“We played really well defensively,” said Tech head coach Dave Wilbers. “We’ve been working on that in practice a lot, and I think it showed. I also liked that we had balanced scoring. I told the girls there would times when it would be a little rusty, but they stuck with it.”

Calli White led the Suns with 17 points. She was 7-of-13 from the field. North notched 14 points and 11 rebounds for her first double-double as a Golden Sun. Kelsey McClure and Pounds added 10 points apiece.

Pounds made her 219th career 3-point field goal during the game, tying her with Jenny Vining for third place on the all-time list for Arkansas Tech women’s basketball.

Olivia Potter paced Southeastern Oklahoma State (5-4, 3-2) with nine points. The Savage Storm was 17-of-63 (27 percent) from the field.

The Golden Suns will host East Central University for a 1 p.m. GAC contest at Tucker Coliseum on Saturday, Jan. 7.