Gulf South Conference

Arkansas Tech and Delta State have been tightly paired all season long. So it was no surprise that the two schools would be paired in the Gulf South Conference women’s basketball championship game Sunday afternoon.

The Golden Suns controlled most of the first half but the Lady Statesmen held the lead midway through the final period. That’s when ATU seized the lead for good, en route to a 73-62 victory over DSU to earn the school its second straight title, fourth overall. Laura Beth Anderson scored a game-high 22 points, Jenny Vining added 19 and Natalia Santos kicked in 16. All three made the All-Tournament team with Vining earning Most Outstand Player honors.

Delta State created many of its own problems, turning the ball over 25 times – which led to 31 Arkansas Tech points – and committing 25 fouls, some that led to a 32-of-36 effort from the free throw line. Conversely, the Lady Statesmen took only 11 trips to the charity stripe, making seven.  

ATU started the game with an 11-4 run. Every time DSU would slice the lead, the Golden Suns would respond with a couple of scores that would push the lead back out. Arkansas Tech led 28-23 at halftime but Delta State was not done.

Moe Bell started draining 3-pointers for Delta State in the second half. She drained four of them in the first 10 minutes to give the Lady Statesmen a 43-40 advantage. But the Golden Suns responded with a quick 9-1 run that gave Arkansas Tech the lead for good.

Veronica Walker scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Delta State. Bell scored 15 points, Sheena Johnson added 12 and Bug Cooper had 11 assists and four rebounds.

Jenny Vining, Arkansas Tech (Most Outstanding Player)

Natalia Santos, Arkansas Tech

Laura Beth Anderson, Arkansas Tech

Veronica Walker, Delta State

Bailey St. Clair, Harding

A’Laeshia Adams, Ouachita Baptist