It wasn’t the finish to the 2025-26 basketball regular season the Arkansas Tech Golden Suns were hoping for, but a new opportunity is right around the corner.
Arkansas Tech (18-8) will open play in the 2026 Great American Conference Tournament as the No. 3 seed by taking on No. 6 seed Ouachita Baptist University (14-12) in a first-round match-up on Friday, March 6. Tip-off at Northside Arena in Fort Smith is set for 8 p.m.
Live coverage of Golden Suns basketball from the GAC Tournament will be provided by KCJC 102.3 FM, the River Country KCJC website and www.arkansastechsports.com.
Arkansas Tech enters the postseason on a four-game losing streak, and the Golden Suns have lost five of their last six games. Each of their last three losses came by six points or less.
Among the consequences of those results is that Arkansas Tech can no longer count itself among the teams in serious contention for an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament. The Golden Suns must win three consecutive games in Fort Smith and claim the GAC Tournament title to ensure that their season will continue beyond this weekend.
“I’m going to get these guys better,” said Dave Wilbers, ATU head women’s basketball coach, when asked about the Golden Suns’ preparation for the GAC Tournament. “We’re going to have some gut check practices. I don’t like some of the stuff I’m seeing out here right now…turning the ball over and making the same mistakes all the time. We’re going to watch a lot of tape, and we’re going to get better in practice. I’m going to have them ready for the GAC Tournament. We’re going to look like a new team. It was one of those years when the league was wide open, and so is the tournament. We have to play better basketball.”
Reducing turnovers and committing fewer fouls will be among the points of emphasis for Arkansas Tech. The Golden Suns gave the basketball away 21 times in a 74-72 loss at Southern Arkansas University in the regular season finale on Saturday, and during their current four-game losing streak they have committed 90 fouls. As a result, Arkansas Tech’s last four opponents have attempted 65 more free throws than the Golden Suns.
Arkansas Tech was 2-0 against Ouachita Baptist during the regular season. The Golden Suns defeated the Tigers 99-71 in Russellville on Jan. 3 and 93-86 in Arkadelphia on Feb. 14.
Friday will mark the first postseason women’s basketball meeting between Arkansas Tech and Ouachita Baptist since the Golden Suns earned a 69-57 win over the Tigers in the opening round of the 2017 GAC Tournament. Arkansas Tech is 6-1 all-time in postseason women’s basketball games against Ouachita. The Tigers’ lone postseason triumph over Tech was a 79-62 victory in the 1986 NAIA District 17 Tournament.
The Golden Suns are led in scoring by freshman forward Logan Young of Dover (17.1 points per game), sophomore forward AbbiGrace Cunningham of Atkins (11.4 points per game) and senior guard Perina Leime of Melbourne, Australia (11 points per game).
Ouachita Baptist features senior forward Madeleine Tipton of Vilonia (16.7 points per game), senior guard Heidi Robinson of Marmaduke (14 points per game) and senior forward Abbey Harrison of Hernando, Miss. (10.8 points per game).
The winner of the ATU-OBU game will play in the GAC Tournament semifinals at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 7, against either No. 2 seed Northwestern Oklahoma State University (19-9) or No. 7 seed East Central University (15-11).
The other side of the women’s GAC Tournament bracket will pit No. 1 seed Harding University (23-5) against No. 8 seed Southern Nazarene University (10-16) and No. 4 seed Henderson State University (17-9) against No. 5 seed Southeastern Oklahoma State University (16-12).
The GAC Tournament women’s championship game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Sunday, March 8. All games will be played at Northside Arena in Fort Smith.
Talk to you on the radio.
Tech Tidbits is a column written by Sam Strasner, ATU director of university relations and radio play-by-play voice for ATU football and basketball.
