FORT SMITH, Arkansas -- The Ouachita women's basketball team saw its season come to a close in the Friday nightcap, falling to No. 3-seeded Arkansas Tech 82-73 in the Great American Conference Tournament quarterfinals at Northside Arena.

In the 100th all-time meeting between the longtime conference rivals, Arkansas Tech (19-8) took advantage of 54 fouls called and used a dominant 35-point fourth quarter to take control. Despite trailing by as much as 12, the Golden Suns made 30 of 40 shots from the free throw line to pull off the comeback victory and advance to the GAC Tournament semifinals.  

The Tigers set the tone early with strong perimeter shooting from its senior sharpshooters as Audri Winfrey and Madeleine Tipton knocked down a pair of threes. The Tigers pounced on a 9-0 scoring run early in the second frame as senior Heidi Robinson hit a corner three, then followed up with a mid-range jumper to push the Tigers' lead to double-digits. Tipton added another shot from 3-point range late in the opening half to give Ouachita a 31-24 lead.

Arkansas Tech slowed the pace of play to chip away at the deficit throughout the second half. The Golden Suns leaned on feeding their bigs posted up inside to level the score twice as senior Jadah Pickens used a spin move for a game-tying layup midway through the period. After the Tigers restored a slight cushion, a massive block from senior Perina Leime resulted in a transition 3-pointer from freshman Shalyn Lyle to even the score at 44 apiece. 

Robinson responded with an and-1 finish at the rim, then Winfrey connected on her third 3-pointer from the corner as Ouachita took a 52-47 lead into the final frame. Robinson led Ouachita with 19 points and three assists, while Tipton scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Winfrey finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and a trio of threes.

The momentum instantly shifted as Arkansas Tech fed sophomore AbbiGrace Cunningham to take over with a series of five consecutive baskets, plus six trips to the charity stripe all in the fourth. Arkansas Tech outscored Ouachita 35-21 in the fourth quarter to seal the victory. Cunningham led Arkansas Tech with 28 points and four blocks, while Perina Leime recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Ouachita finishes its season with a 14-13 overall record and a first-round exit in the GAC Tournament.