[January 19, 2008]

Contact: Houston Taylor

MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Arkansas Tech’s duo of Krishna Baker and Ruby Vaden almost led the Golden Suns (14-2, 3-0 GSC) past Southern Arkansas (4-11, 0-3 GSC) themselves, combining for 51 points and 20 rebounds in Saturday’s 94-53 win over the Lady Muleriders at the W.T. Watson Athletic Center.

Posting double-doubles, Baker had a game-high 34 points and 10 rebounds, while Vaden finished with 17 and also grabbed 10 boards.

SAU took a brief 2-1 lead at the start, and other than that, it was all ATU as Baker recorded 22 first half points and six rebounds and Vaden supplied 11 and six as Tech sprinted out to a 54-23 halftime lead. An 18-3 run gave the Golden Suns a 19-5 advantage at 13:47 and they were up 42-21 with 3:21 left. A 12-2 spree from there closed out the first frame.

It got no better for Southern Arkansas in the second half as they never pulled closer than 30 points, the last, 60-30, at 16:15. From there, Baker’s lay-up ignited a 14-2 run for a 74-32 lead at 10:27, and ATU eventually took their largest margin of the game, 85-38, with about six minutes remaining. The Lady Muleriders managed to outscore their visitors 15-9 down the stretch to set the final score.

Looking like the Arkansas Tech teams of old, they hit 39 of 63 from the floor for 61.9 percent in the game. Most came inside as they held a 56-10 scoring advantage in the paint. They attempted just 14 three-pointers, connecting on five for 35.7 percent, and were 11 of 15 (73.3) at the charity stripe.

SAU’s offensive struggles continued, as they converted only 18 of 69 (26.1) from the field, including 9 of 32 (28.1) treys, and were 8 of 15 (53.3) from the stripe.

Baker also blocked two shots and had a steal in 27 minutes of action, while Vaden added three steals in 22 minutes. Baker was 14 of 19 shooting, while Vaden hit 8 of her 10 shots. Veteran guard Ashley Grappe pulled off a double of her own, scoring 11 points and dishing out 13 assists, while her sister Ashley added seven assists.

Blair Jordan led Southern Arkansas with 12 points, Goldie White chipped in 11, and Kristy Shinn had 10. Shardae Thompson pulled down eight rebounds, and White added six assists.

The Golden Suns held a 50-32 rebound advantage on the boards and finished with a team total of 30 assists.

The Lady Muleriders face another tough one Thursday when No. 2 Delta State comes to town. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m. from the W.T. Watson Athletic Center.