A 13-2 run midway through the second half gave Arkansas Tech University the momentum for good in an 86-72 victory over Harding University in men’s basketball at Rhodes-Reaves Field House in Searcy on Thursday night.
The Wonder Boys (4-11 overall, 2-7 Great American Conference) led 45-38 at halftime. Harding scored eight of the first 10 points in the second half to pull within a single point of the lead, but Arkansas Tech never relinquished its advantage.
The decisive spurt began with a Mason Cline 3-pointer at the 14:15 mark of the second half. When R.J. Glasper closed the run on a trey of his own with 12:22 remaining, Arkansas Tech led 65-51. The Wonder Boys maintained at least a seven-point lead the rest of the way as they won for the second time in their last three games.
“You’ve got to get stops to be able to go on runs like that,” said Chad Kline, ATU head coach, when asked about the Wonder Boys’ 13-2 surge. “When we can get out and run like that, we’re fun to watch. This is a tough place to get a win. They had it rocking early.”
Arkansas Tech quieted the crowd of 1,922 by connecting on 15-of-32 attempts (47 percent) from 3-point range.
Five Wonder Boys reached double figures in scoring, led by Will Adler with 20 points. He was 6-of-13 from beyond the arc.
Cline finished with a season-high 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting from 3-point range. Glasper added 18 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Alex Brown and Ramses Sandifer notched 10 points apiece.
JV Long scored a game-high 23 points for the Bisons (5-10, 3-6), who suffered their sixth consecutive loss.
Next up for the Wonder Boys is a 3 p.m. GAC contest against Henderson State University at the Duke Wells Center in Arkadelphia on Saturday, Jan. 19.
Radio station KCJC 102.3 FM and www.arkansastechsports.com will provide live coverage.
