Regular Season Reaches Final Two Weeks

#20 Arkansas Tech Golden Suns (19-3, 14-2 GAC) at ECU Tigers (14-8, 10-6 GAC) When: Thursday, Feb. 19, 5:30 p.m. Where: Kerr Activities Center, Ada, Okla. Radio/Internet: KWKK 100.9 FM/www.arkansastechsports.com Series: Tech leads 10-6 About the Golden Suns: Arkansas Tech is in sole possession of first place in the GAC women’s basketball standings with four regular season league games remaining. The Golden Suns enter Thursday one win away from clinching the 32nd 20-win season in the 38-year history of intercollegiate women’s basketball at Arkansas Tech. Junior forward Fatima Adams scored 26 points and tied a single-game school record with 22 rebounds to lead the Golden Suns to an 84-72 overtime victory over East Central on Jan. 17. Arkansas Tech is 0-3 in women’s basketball games at the Kerr Activities Center during the GAC era. About the Tigers: East Central has lost two consecutive games and is tied with the University of Arkansas-Monticello for third place in the GAC standings. The Tigers lead the GAC in scoring defense (59.6 points allowed per game), but they have struggled recently on the other end of the floor. ECU has shot 37 percent or less from the floor and scored 57 or fewer points in six of its last seven games. Senior forward Dilan Webster (14.1 points per game) is the Tigers’ leading scorer. Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys (12-12, 8-8 GAC) at ECU Tigers (16-8, 10-6 GAC) When: Thursday, Feb. 19, 7:30 p.m. Where: Kerr Activities Center, Ada, Okla.  Radio/Internet: KWKK 100.9 FM/www.arkansastechsports.com Series: Tech leads 13-9 About the Wonder Boys: Just two weeks ago, Arkansas Tech was outside the cut line to earn one of eight berths in the men’s bracket for the GAC Tournament. Now the Wonder Boys are on a three-game winning streak and just two games out of second place in the league standings. Defense has told the story of their season. Arkansas Tech is 9-0 when it holds opponents below 40 percent shooting from the field. The Wonder Boys are 3-12 when their opponents make more than 40 percent of their field goal tries. Senior guard Mike Balogun has averaged 20.7 points per game and made 13-of-23 attempts from 3-point range during Tech’s winning streak. About the Tigers: East Central is one win away from reaching a plateau its men’s basketball program hasn’t seen in 15 years. The last time the Tigers won more than 16 games in a season was 1999-2000, when they finished with an overall record of 19-8. Junior guard Marquis Walters’ tip-in with 1.9 seconds remaining sent ECU to a 70-68 victory over Arkansas Tech at Tucker Coliseum in Russellville on Jan. 17. The Tigers are last in the GAC in rebound margin (-3.2 per game).]]>