SOUTHAVEN, Miss.- No. 2 Arkansas Tech took a 42-21 lead at half, and never looked back as Ouachita Baptist fell, 89-73, in the Semi-Finals of the Gulf South Conference Tournament at the DeSoto Civic Center in Southaven, Miss on Saturday.
Ouachita (20-8) finished the game at 30 percent shooting, including 3-of-25 from three-point range against the No. 2 Golden Suns (26-2), as the Lady Tigers battled back in the second half, but the 21-point deficit to begin the second half was too much against the GSC West Division champs.
The Lady Tigers stormed to a 10-0 run in the second half, as Arkansas Tech didn’t score until the 16:26 mark, cutting the deficit to 44-31.
The difference in the initial play of Ouachita in the beginning of the second half came via defense, as the Lady Tigers forced the Golden Suns into nine turnovers in the first five minutes of the second half.
The shooting percentage is the lowest of the season for Ouachita, as the previous low was 29.4 percent in a 73-57 win against Mobile on Nov. 27. The Lady Tigers also forced Arkansas Tech into the most turnovers that they’ve had all season in 33, tying the previous mark set against Henderson State on Feb. 3.
Ouachita junior A’Laeshia Adams led the way with 20 points on 8-of-20 shooting, with five rebounds. Junior Beulah Osueke added 17 points and seven rebounds in the loss, while Ouachita Baptist individual career scoring leader Gabby Coleman connected on 11 points and six rebounds on 3-of-16 shots.
As a team, Ouachita shot 30 percent on 24-of-79 shots, including just 3-of-25 on three-pointers for 12 percent and hit 22-of-35 free throws at a 62 percent rate. The Lady Tigers committed 25 turnovers on the day.
For Arkansas Tech, the Golden Suns hit 66 percent of three-point attempts at 6-of-9, while hitting 41 percent of shots overall at 24-of-58 shots. Laura Beth Anderson recorded a game-high 21 points, with seven rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Also leading the way were Natalia Santos (18 points, 10 rebounds), Katie Horsman (18 points, 8 rebounds) and Jenny Vining with 13 points on 3-of-3 shooting behind the arc.
The Golden Suns advance to the GSC Tournament Final against the winner of No. 3 Delta State and Harding in the other Semi-Final contest in Southaven, Miss. The GSC West Division swept first round action to ensure it will be an All-West final in the GSC Tournament finale. The semi-final berth for the Lady Tigers marks the final time that Ouachita will compete as a member of the Gulf South Conference in women’s basketball. The official move to the Great American Conference will take place for all campus athletics in the Fall of 2011.
While the regular season and GSC Tournament is over for Ouachita, the Lady Tigers will have a strong chance to receive an at-large bid for the NCAA South Regional Tournament, as the field will be announced this Sunday evening at 8:30 p.m. CST on the NCAA website.
Stay tuned to the Ouachita Baptist Athletics website for more information about the NCAA South Regional Tournament at www.obutigers.com .
