Arkansas Tech University will play four home basketball games this week, and all four ATU opponents are in the top two spots in the Great American Conference standings entering the week.
ATU will host Oklahoma Baptist University at 3 and 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9, and Southern Nazarene University at 1 and 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11, at Tucker Coliseum in Russellville. Visit www.arkansastechsports.com/tickets to purchase tickets.
Live coverage of all four ATU games this week will be provided by KCJC 102.3 FM, the EAB Media Group app and www.arkansastechsports.com.
The OBU Bison women (9-3 overall, 5-1 GAC) are off to a fast start based on their ability to shoot the basketball. They rank seventh nationally in 3-point field goals made (9.5 per game) and first nationally in free throw shooting (.837).
The OBU Bison men (9-3, 6-0) are the best rebounding team in the GAC with a plus-6.5 rebounds per game margin.
The SNU Crimson Storm women (8-4, 5-1) feature two-time GAC defensive player of the year Hannah Giddey, a 6-foot-2 forward who has blocked 239 shots over the course of her 77-game career with the Crimson Storm.
The SNU Crimson Storm men (9-1, 6-0) have shot 50 percent or better from the field five times during their current six-game winning streak.
The Wonder Boys (5-7, 2-4) dropped a 78-72 decision at Ouachita Baptist University on Saturday. Ouachita finished with a 20-3 edge in fast break points.
“It’s pretty frustrating that we work all week on certain things and then we don’t go execute them,” said Mark Downey, ATU head men’s basketball coach. “We’re not a very tough basketball team right now. We’ve got to fix it. That’s my job, but it has to come from within. I can’t go out there and do it for them. We have to be tougher.”
The Golden Suns (3-7, 1-5) are trying to stop a four-game losing streak. They shot a season-high 44 percent from 3-point range (8-of-18) in a 73-57 loss at Ouachita Baptist on Saturday.
ATU’s women are averaging 17.3 turnovers per game this season, second-most in the GAC.
“We had some really costly turnovers,” said Dave Wilbers, ATU head women’s basketball coach, after the Ouachita game. “We have to stop these runs that people are making on us. A lot of it is on us because we turn the basketball over.”
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.
