RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – SWOSU men's basketball suffered a 78-64 loss at the hands of Arkansas Tech on Saturday afternoon. A hot start from Arkansas Tech saw them push the lead to 16 points in the first half. The Bulldogs ultimately could not put together a big enough run in the second half to overcome the early hole.

 
SWOSU drops to 12-14 on the year and 8-12 in conference play. This ranks them at tied for eighth with Ouachita Baptist. With two games remaining, they will need to win out to have a chance at claiming a spot in the GAC Tournament.
 
ATU jumped out to a 20-9 lead halfway through the first half, thanks to three three-pointers in a minute span. Breakdowns in SWOSU's half-court defense when dropping back from their full-court pressure caused this and the extension of the lead throughout the first half. The Dawgs' shooting was also to blame, shooting 25% through the first 20 minutes. Arkansas Tech held a 12-point lead going into the half.
 
SWOSU never truly thought the game was over, even when the Wonder Boys took a 57-37 lead with 11:07 remaining in the game. They fought and clawed to get back to ten points, but never got it down to single digits. They went on a 23-13 run to make it 70-60 with 3:51. SWOSU had momentum and looked to make the game interesting down the stretch.
 
ATU held SWOSU to no field goals after that point, excluding an uncontested layup by Chris Braggs, Jr. with eight seconds left. The defense that usually keeps SWOSU in games came up short at the beginning and didn't have enough to climb back from the 20-point second half difference.
 
Chris Braggs, Jr. scored 21 points and grabbed five rebounds. Ben Smith totaled 11 points and six rebounds. GAC steals leader Nate Goodlow collected five steals to go along with seven points and five rebounds.