Nationally fifth-ranked Arkansas Tech used perimeter defense and points in the paint to defeat the Ouachita Baptist Lady Tigers 92-72 at Tucker Coliseum in Russellville on Thursday night.
The Golden Suns (23-1 overall, 10-1 Gulf South Conference) held the Lady Tigers to 7-of-45 shooting from 3-point range and Tech out-scored OBU 34-20 in points in the paint.
The win allowed the Suns to maintain a one-game lead over Delta State for first place in the GSC West Division standings with three regular season games remaining.
Tech led 55-38 with 16:14 left in the game, but a 21-10 Ouachita spurt cut the Suns’ advantage to 65-59 with 9:32 remaining.
That was when Tech’s Jenny Vining stepped up with a 28-foot 3-pointer from the top of the key. Her trey sparked a 12-5 Tech run that gave it a 77-64 edge at the 5:03 mark.
The Suns maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way as they completed a season sweep of the Lady Tigers.
Katie Horsman led Tech with a career-high 20 points. She was 11-of-14 from the free throw line, and she grabbed nine rebounds.
Natalia Santos (photographed) had 19 points and 10 rebounds. Vining finished with 18 points, and Jessica Weatherford had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
A’Laeshia Adams led OBU (11-13, 3-8) with 20 points. Gabby Coleman added 19 points for the Lady Tigers.
The Golden Suns will head to Cleveland, Miss., for a showdown with nationally 12th-ranked Delta State on Saturday.
Tip-off at Walter Sillers Coliseum in Cleveland, Miss., is set for 4 p.m. Saturday, and the game can be heard live on Russellville radio station KWKK 100.9 FM and over the Internet at www.athletics.atu.edu.
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