The long and winding road that has been the 2019-20 Arkansas Tech University basketball regular season will end on the plains of Oklahoma this week.
The Golden Suns and the Wonder Boys will visit Northwestern Oklahoma State University on Thursday, Feb. 27, and Southwestern Oklahoma State University on Saturday, Feb. 29, for the final games of the 2019-20 regular season.
Saturday’s games are booked for 1 and 3 p.m. at the Pioneer Cellular Event Center in Weatherford.
All four ATU Great American Conference contests this week can be heard on KCJC 102.3 FM. Additional live coverage will be available at www.arkansastechsports.com.
ATU Golden Suns (16-8, 13-7 GAC) vs. NWOSU Lady Rangers (12-14, 8-12 GAC)
When: Thursday, Feb. 27, 5:30 p.m.
Where: Percefull Fieldhouse, Alva, Okla.
Radio/Internet: KCJC 102.3 FM/www.arkansastechsports.com
Series: ATU leads 18-1
About the Golden Suns: Consecutive wins over Oklahoma Baptist University and Southern Nazarene University last week have Arkansas Tech in a share for fourth place in the GAC standings. The Golden Suns’ seed for the GAC Tournament will be determined during the final weekend of the regular season. Arkansas Tech has won 12 consecutive meetings with Northwestern Oklahoma State, including a 70-51 victory in Russellville on Jan. 25. Junior guard Jayana Sanders is averaging 14.2 points per game over her last 10 contests. She reached the 300-assist plateau for her career on Saturday. Junior forward Lycia Peevy is averaging 14.6 points and 8.6 rebounds per game over her last five outings. Freshman guard Kaley Shipman has connected on 6-of-9 3-point attempts in ATU’s last three games. She has averaged 18 points per game over that span.
About the Lady Rangers: Northwestern Oklahoma State has been mathematically eliminated from contention for one of the eight berths in the 2020 GAC Tournament. The Lady Rangers have lost five of their last seven games, but they remain dangerous due to the trio of senior guard Kalea King, junior forward Bailey Brown and sophomore forward Hillary Hurst. King has 1,522 career points and scored 24 points in NWOSU’s 81-62 loss at Henderson State University on Saturday. Brown has 1,069 career points and has recorded 16 career double-doubles. Hurst has averaged 15.2 points in the Lady Rangers’ last five games.
ATU Wonder Boys (12-14, 8-12 GAC) vs. NWOSU Rangers (8-18, 5-15 GAC)
When: Thursday, Feb. 27, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Percefull Fieldhouse, Alva, Okla.
Radio/Internet: KCJC 102.3 FM/www.arkansastechsports.com
Series: ATU leads 13-3
About the Wonder Boys: Eight losses in its last nine games has put Arkansas Tech in peril of missing the men’s basketball postseason for a second consecutive year. The Wonder Boys are tied for ninth place in the league standings, one game behind Ouachita Baptist University in the race for the final ticket to the GAC Tournament. Junior guard R.J. Glasper became the sixth ATU men’s basketball player to reach 400 career assists on Saturday. He needs two points to reach 1,500 for his career. The Wonder Boys’ most recent trip to Alva resulted in a 74-72 victory when Will Adler beat the buzzer with a game-winning 3-pointer on Jan. 26, 2019.
About the Rangers: Northwestern Oklahoma State is already assured of missing the GAC Tournament for a second consecutive season. The Rangers have lost six of their eight games since earning a 67-64 win at Arkansas Tech on Jan. 25. Junior guard Jack Peck’s 3-pointer with 3.1 seconds remaining made the difference in NWOSU’s first-ever road win over the Wonder Boys. Peck had a career-high 27 points when ATU visited Percefull Fieldhouse last season. Senior guard A.J. Jones has recovered from an injury that prevented him from playing against Arkansas Tech on Jan. 25. Jones scored a season-high 17 points against Henderson State on Saturday.
