SHAWNEE, Okla.– Jayana Sanders poured in 22 points while Jacie Higgins chipped in 19 points, leading the way as the Arkansas Tech Golden Suns basketball team (12-13, 9-10 Great American Conference) took home a 91-65 win over Oklahoma Baptist (10-15, 6-13) on Thursday night at the Noble Center.

NEXT UP

The Golden Suns will return to action on Saturday, Feb. 23, facing Southern Nazarene in a 1 p.m. matchup in Bethany, Okla.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Golden Suns scored the first six points of the contest.

Oklahoma Baptist came back with a rally that pulled the Bison to within two (10-8) with five minutes remaining in the opening quarter.

Tech used a 6-0 run to jump ahead 18-10 with less than a minute to play in the quarter, and carried a 21-12 advantage into the second quarter.

After OBU pulled to within nine (23-14) with 9:13 to go until half, Tech used a 16-2 run to pull ahead 39-16 with 5:55 remaining.

Tech carried a 51-26 lead into the half.

With 1:31 remaining in the second quarter, Hannah Villines hit a jumper that kickstarted an 11-0 run that straddled the halftime and stretched Tech's lead to 57-26 with 8:06 to play in the third.

The Bison responded with a 6-0 run to pull back within 57-32 just 90 seconds later.

Oklahoma Baptist closed the third quarter strong, outscoring Tech 22-15 in the period to pull to within 18 (66-48) after three quarters.

After OBU pulled to within 17 (72-55) with 7:25 to play, the Golden Suns outscored the Bison 14-6 over the next five minutes, going 6-for-6 from the floor during that stretch to claim an 86-61 advantage with 2:04 to play, and the Golden Suns cruised from there for the victory.

NOTABLES

The Golden Suns outshot OBU 60.0 percent to 36.4 percent, including shooting 91.7 percent (11-of-12) from the floor in the fourth quarter. The Golden Suns made their first 11 field goal attempts of the quarter.

Tech outscored OBU 28-16 in the paint, 18-8 off turnovers, and 12-4 off fast-break points. OBU held a 15-3 advantage in second-chance points.

Tech had a 34-12 advantage in bench points.

The Golden Suns held a 34-31 rebounding edge, and forced 19 OBU turnovers.