ARKADELPHIA- After a first half of extraordinary scoring by both teams, it was No. 9 Arkansas Tech who hit the shots down the stretch, defeating the Lady Tigers, 78-74, at Bill Vining Arena in Arkadelphia on Thursday.
Ouachita (9-8, 1-4 GSC West) shot 40 percent in the first half, while trailing 48-43 in an action-packed first half. The Lady Tigers finished at 32 percent shooting overall after a 25 percent second half shooting effort, but it was Arkansas Tech (17-0, 4-0 GSC West) who finished at 50 percent overall in a balanced shooting effort overall. After going 16 games without a double-digit rebounder, junior Maranda Parker and senior Melissa Richardson both recorded 10-plus rebounds against No. 9 Arkansas Tech.
Sophomore A’Laeshia Adams led Ouachita with 19 points on 7-of-21 shooting, including four rebounds, three assists and three steals. Senior Melissa Richardson scored a season-high 12 points, including 4-of-7 on 3-pointers and 10 rebounds. Junior Maranda Parker also added a season-high in both points and rebounding, scoring 11 points and recording 12 rebounds. Junior Gabby Coleman also scored 10 points to give the Lady Tigers four players in double figures.
Ouachita shot 32 percent (27-of-82), including 29 percent on 3-pointers (12-of-41) and 50 percent at the free-throw line (8-of-16). The Lady Tigers forced 20 turnovers on Arkansas Tech, while just committing 11 as a team. Ouachita also held the rebounding advantage for the eighth time this season, 48-47, including eight steals.
Arkansas Tech’s Jessica Weatherford led the Golden Suns with 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Jenny Vining added 19 points and three steals. The Golden Suns shot 50 percent overall, including 31 percent on 3-pointers and 52 percent on free-throw shooting.
Ouachita Baptist travels to Magnolia, Ark. on Saturday to face Southern Arkansas in a Gulf South Conference match up. Tip-off is set for 5:30 for the women’s game.
By Alan Greenwood, OBU Sports Information Director
