OBU men cancel five games due to COVID-19,

ARKADELPHIA — Four Great American Conference men’s basketball games were canceled Monday after a number of Ouachita Baptist players were ineligible due to contact tracing and quarantining.

Monday’s contest against Henderson State, Thursday’s game at Arkansas-Monticello, Saturday’s game against Arkansas Tech and the Jan. 21 game against Southern Arkansas were all canceled, consistent with the league’s COVID-19 management requirements. The team’s Jan. 23 home game against Harding had not been canceled at presstime.

Ouachita’s women’s team has been unable to play due to quarantined players, missing their season opener on Jan. 7. The women’s team is expected to host Southern Arkansas as scheduled.

Games will be rescheduled and announced at a later date.

GAC announces Players of the Week

RUSSELLVILLE — The GAC named the first men’s and women’s basketball Players of the Week for the 2021 season on Monday with both awards going to Southwestern Oklahoma State players.

SWOSU junior guard Damion Thornton, of Edmond, Oklahoma, picked up the men’s award after leading the Bulldogs to wins at East Central and preseason favorite Southeastern Oklahoma State. He scored 24 points on 8-of-10 shooting with

14 rebounds against the Tigers and scored

18 against SEOSU with 14 boards. This is the first time the Bulldogs have started 2-0 since the 2011-2012 season.

Others nominated for the men’s award include SAU forward Devante Brooks, UAM guard DaJuan Jones, HSU guard Quawn Marshall, East Central guard Tylor Arnold, Southern Nazarene guard Manny Dixon and Oklahoma Baptist forward Harrison Stoddart.

SWOSU sophomore forward Makyra Tramble, of Shawnee, Oklahoma, picked up the women’s award, averaging a dou

ble-double in double-digit wins against East Central and defending GAC champion SEOSU. Tramble averaged 27.5 points and

12.0 rebounds per game with a

27-point game against the Tigers and career highs of 28 points and

17 rebounds against the Savage Storm. She also went 14 for 30 from behind the arc between the two games.

Others nominated for the women’s award were Arkansas Tech guard Kaley Shipman, HSU guard Maci Mains, UAM guard Kayla Bradley, Northwestern Oklahoma State forward Bailey Brown and East Central guard Mackenzie Crusoe.

Arkansas Tech tops Harding women

RUSSELLVILLE — Jayana Sanders hit a 3-pointer to break a tie with 59 seconds left, and the Golden Suns (4-0, 3-0 GAC) held on for a 78-76 victory over Harding (0-2, 0-2) Monday night at Tucker Coliseum.

Sanders hit the trey from the right wing for a 77-74 lead before Harding’s Carissa Caples responded with a jumper in the paint with 25 seconds left. Sanders was fouled, missing both shots to give the Lady Bisons a final opportunity.

Harding got the ball inside, but Arkansas Tech’s Nikki Metcalfe blocked the shot. A foul on Trelynn Tyler led to her making one of two shots, but the Lady Bisons were unable to get a shot off before the horn.

Jessieville grad Kellie Lampo, who was in her first game in a year after a knee injury last season, put up 14 points with eight rebounds and three assists, and Sage Hawley also had 14 with eight boards, three assists and three blocks. Jordan Elder scored

13, and Caples scored 12. Elder hit three treys on the night.

Sanders put up a game-high

23 points, Shipman added 17, and Ashlei Lopez added 16. Metcalfe had nine points with three blocks.

Harding scored half of its 36 first-half points in the paint and out-rebounded the Golden Suns

43-34 in the game. Arkansas Tech shot 50% from behind the arc (9 for 18) while hitting 43.3% from the field, and the Lady Bisons were held to 40.3% from the field while hitting 72.4% from the charity stripe (21 for 29).

Harding hosts HSU Thursday at 5:30 p.m., and the Golden Suns host SAU at 5:30 p.m.