R.J. Glasper scored 20 points to lead Arkansas Tech University to an 88-76 non-conference men’s basketball win over Northeastern State University at Tucker Coliseum in Russellville on Saturday afternoon.
Alex Brown added 16 points, Harris Brown had 13 points and Montrell Williams notched 11 points for the Wonder Boys, who improved to 4-1 on the season.
“It was definitely a game of runs,” said Chad Kline, ATU head coach. “(Northeastern State) played extremely hard. We knew it would be a tough game. We talk about winning the games and then getting better in practice. That’s what we’ll try to do.”
A 12-0 run midway through the first half allowed Arkansas Tech to build a 29-16 lead with 8:18 to go until halftime.
The Wonder Boys went on to lead by as many as 16 points at 44-28 with 2:40 left in the first half, but a 10-0 run got the RiverHawks (3-3) back in the game. Glasper made a 3-pointer in the closing moments of the half to send the Wonder Boys to halftime with a 47-38 advantage.
Arkansas Tech maintained a lead of between five and 14 points throughout the second half. Northeastern State’s final surge pulled the RiverHawks within 77-70 with 2:58 to go. The Wonder Boys made 11-of-12 free throws over the final 2:12 to improve to 18-5 all-time in home games against Northeastern State.
The Wonder Boys will return to Great American Conference action by hosting Southwestern Oklahoma State University for a 7:30 p.m. contest at Tucker Coliseum on Thursday, Nov. 30.
