Alva Review-Courier -

ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The Ouachita Lady Tigers basketball team came up short on Tuesday evening to Arkansas Tech 74-60.

Arkansas Tech (22-3, 18-3 GAC) has swept the season series against Ouachita (13-14, 9-12 GAC) four out of the past five years now.

The Lady Tigers will need to pick up a win a Saturday afternoon in order to secure a spot in the Great American Conference Tournament.

Ouachita started out the game red hot on offense scoring 15 points in the opening quarter of play. The Tigers defense shut down the Golden Suns offense, limiting the team to just 9 total points in the quarter.

At the 7:10 mark of the second quarter Maija Gertson (Liepaja, Latvia) received a pass from Morgan Miller (Siloam Springs, Ark.) and swished in a three-pointer. The bucket gave the Lady Tigers a 23-9 advantage as Ouachita appeared to be on cruise control offensively.

Slowly, the Golden Suns began to chip away at the Lady Tigers lead and soon Tech had fought back within two points of the Lady Tigers. Ouachita went into halftime up 32-27.

The Lady Tigers defense played lockdown defense the entire first half as Tech only made 28 percent of their shots from the floor. Meanwhile, the Lady Tigers shot 45 percent from the field.

The second half was a different story though for both squads as they appeared to switch roles. Suddenly, it was the Golden Suns defense clamping down on the Lady Tigers offense.

The 7:17 mark of the third quarter was the turning point in the game. Kylie Ladd hit a three-point shot that gave Tech a 37-34 advantage. The Lady Tigers never had the lead again after that moment.

Tech increased their lead by as many as 11-points in the third quarter. The Golden Suns maintained their double-digit lead throughout the fourth quarter, before winning the game by 14-points.

Arkansas Tech outscored Ouachita 47-28 in the second half. The Golden Suns shot 50 percent from the floor, while the Lady Tigers connected on just 35 percent of their shot attempts.

Lyrik Williams had a career night for the Golden Suns as she scored 17 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in the contest. Cheyenne North came up just short of a triple-double with 22 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds. Ladd contributed 15 points in the contest.

For the Lady Tigers Jakyya Clay (Marion, Ark.) was the lone Ouachita player to score in double figures as she finished the game with 10 points.

Ouachita will try to close out the regular season with a win on Saturday afternoon against Southern Arkansas. Senior-Day festivities will be held before the game; tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.