Wonder Boys Cage the Tigers 82-67

Arkansas Tech used a combination of 3-point shooting and turnover margin to run past the Ouachita Baptist Tigers 82-67 in Great American Conference men’s basketball action at Tucker Coliseum in Russellville on Thursday night.

The Wonder Boys (13-4 overall, 5-2 GAC) made 10-of-23 shots from 3-point range and finished with a 36-13 edge in points off turnovers as they beat Ouachita Baptist for the sixth time in their last seven meetings.

The turning point in the game came late in the first half. The Tigers had used a zone defense to stay in the game, but Matt Haney busted that zone with two 3-pointers over a span of 70 seconds.

Haney’s treys fueled a 14-6 half-closing run for the Wonder Boys, who took a 40-26 lead to halftime after Jared Williamson hit a 24-footer at the first-half buzzer.

“It seemed like we went a long time without scoring before Matt hit those 3-pointers,” said Arkansas Tech head coach Doug Karleskint. “Those shots put life back in us. We hit a bunch of timely threes tonight. If we didn’t make that run at the end of the first half, this could have been a much different game down the stretch.”

Ouachita Baptist (11-6, 4-3) pulled within 51-47 on a Nick Ross 3-pointer with 11:38 to go. Will Paul answered for the Wonder Boys with a 3-point play, and Jeremy Hoard drained a trey at the 10:54 mark to give Tech a 57-47 edge.

The lead never dropped below seven points the rest of the way as the Wonder Boys won their second consecutive game and improved to 5-1 in their last six games.

Johnie Davis led Arkansas Tech with 19 points. Haney finished with 16 points and five rebounds. Williamson added 15 points and six assists.

Mykel Cleveland chipped in 10 points and seven rebounds for the Wonder Boys.

Julian LaDay led OBU with 20 points. He also made five steals.

Arkansas Tech will visit Southern Arkansas for a 7:30 p.m. GAC contest in Magnolia on Saturday, Jan. 28. Radio station KWKK 100.9 FM will have the call.

Click here to access an Internet stream of the broadcast.

Click here to learn more about Arkansas Tech men’s basketball.

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