ARKADELPHIA – The Ouachita women's basketball team opened the new year on Saturday at home with a 73-57 Great American Conference victory over Arkansas Tech.
The Tigers took the lead with a quick basket right after the opening tip and ran out to an eight-point advantage in the first two minutes. Ouachita reached a double-digit lead for the first time of the game midway through the first period and led by as much as 15.
The Golden Suns came back to outscore the Tigers in the second period 18-12, which left Ouachita with a 40-33 lead at the halftime break.
In the third period, the Tigers got back on top by double-digits before the Suns used a pair of unanswered three-pointers to close the period and trim the difference down to five points heading into the final 10 minutes.
Ouachita caught fire in the fourth period, connecting on 8-of-12 shots from the field and winning the frame 21-10.
Overall, the Tigers finished the game shooting 48 percent from the field (27-for-56), 47 percent on three-pointers (7-for-15), and 75 percent on foul shots (12-for-16). Tech finished at 43 percent overall (23-for-54), 44 percent on three-pointers (8-for-18), and 38 percent on foul shots (3-for-8).
Madeleine Tipton led all scorers with 22 points on a 7-for-11 shooting performance. She added six rebounds and a game-high six assists in her 31 minutes of action.
Abbey Harrison added 16 points and a team-best seven rebounds.
Audri Winfrey also reached double-digits in scoring at 10 points to go along with six boards.
The Tigers continue their current homestand next Thursday, January 9 against Northwestern Oklahoma State. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. at Vining Arena.
