The difference between a good season and a championship season is often defined by a handful of moments.
Arkansas Tech University’s 86-85 overtime women’s basketball win at Northwestern Oklahoma State University on Saturday provided one of those moments that keeps the dream of a conference title alive.
The Golden Suns (14-3 overall, 10-3 Great American Conference) will continue the pursuit of their 27th regular season conference championship with three consecutive home games at Tucker Coliseum in the days to come.
Arkansas Tech will host Southern Nazarene University at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 5, Oklahoma Baptist University at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7, and the University of Arkansas-Monticello at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 9.
Tickets are available at www.arkansastechsports.com/tickets. Live coverage will be provided by KCJC 102.3 FM, the River Country KCJC website and www.arkansastechsports.com.
Arkansas Tech’s win at NWOSU marked the seventh time this season the Golden Suns have won after trailing or being tied in the fourth quarter.
Logan Young’s shot from the lane with 1 second remaining in regulation forced overtime. An offensive rebound by ClaraGrace Prater led to Dessie Lancaster’s go-ahead layup with 11.6 seconds remaining in overtime, and Hayleigh Wyrick secured a defensive rebound as time expired to clinch the win.
“It’s a tough atmosphere in here,” said Dave Wilbers, ATU head women’s basketball coach, following the Suns’ win at Percefull Fieldhouse in Alva, Okla., on Saturday. “We had a great practice session here on Friday, and then the ladies made some big-time plays. It was one of the best basketball games I’ve coached in a long time. There were star players making plays on both ends.”
The Golden Suns are tied with Harding University (16-3, 10-3) for first place in the GAC women’s basketball standings with nine games remaining in the regular season. For Arkansas Tech, only four of those games will be played at home. It’s a fact that accentuates the Golden Suns’ need for a significant home-court advantage during their upcoming three-game homestand.
Wilbers said he is counting on the ATU football team to lead the way in producing that advantage.
“Credit all the (ATU) sports, and credit those 120 football guys who came out there,” said Wilbers when reflecting upon the crowd that supported the Arkansas Tech basketball teams in their home games against Harding on Jan. 22. “I see some spirit out of those guys. It wasn’t just them. We had a lot of athletes there, but they have a spirit about them…that football team…if they bring that to us, it’s going to carry over to the fall. I really believe that, and it was huge.”
The Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys (7-12, 5-8) will play at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 3 p.m. Saturday and 7:30 p.m. Monday as part of the homestand at Tucker Coliseum.
The Wonder Boys, currently on the bubble to earn one of the eight berths in the GAC Tournament, need to take advantage of these three home games to remain on the right side of that bubble. Arkansas Tech’s men are 7-3 at Tucker Coliseum and 0-9 everywhere else this season.
“We don’t have much leadership,” said Mark Downey, ATU head men’s basketball coach, following the Wonder Boys’ 76-63 loss at Northwestern Oklahoma State on Saturday. “When I have to be the leader, it makes it really hard. It’s exhausting. We’re just not a player-led team. We have to fix it. We have to figure it out. We have three home games in a row now. It’s tough sledding, but we have three home games in a row and we should have a chip on our shoulder. We’re fighting for our lives. I just wish we acted like it more.”
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.
