Montrell Williams scored 27 points in his Arkansas Tech University debut to lead the Wonder Boys to an 84-67 win over Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Great American Conference basketball action at Tucker Coliseum in Russellville on Thursday night.
Williams, a junior transfer from Northwest Kansas Technical College, made 11-of-16 field goal tries and 3-of-5 attempts from 3-point range.
“Especially in the first half when we were struggling to score, (Williams) was the one guy who was getting it in the basket,” said Arkansas Tech head coach Chad Kline.
Arkansas Tech (1-0 overall, 1-0 GAC) led by as many as 10 points on two occasions in the first half, but a pair of Nick Shoemaker 3-pointers keyed a 10-3 SWOSU run over the final 3:30 before the intermission. The Wonder Boys’ edge was trimmed to 35-33 at halftime.
Arkansas Tech pulled away late with an 8-0 spurt that included back-to-back 3-pointers by Williams and Trevin Woods and gave the Wonder Boys a 74-63 lead with 5:20 remaining. Tech maintained at least a 10-point margin the rest of the way.
Arkansas Tech finished with a 16-0 edge in points off turnovers and a 48-35 rebounding advantage.
“These guys are probably so tired of hearing me talk about rebounding, but I think it’s the most important part of the game,” said Kline.
Tech’s Justin Graham had 11 points and seven assists. Woods finished with 10 points. Branden Williams notched nine points and 16 rebounds, while Bennie Lufile contributed eight points and 11 rebounds.
Devin Pugh scored a team-high 21 points for the Bulldogs (0-3, 0-1).
The Wonder Boys will entertain Northwestern Oklahoma State University for a 3 p.m. GAC contest at Tucker Coliseum on Saturday, Nov. 19.
