Box Score ARKADELPHIA, Ark- For the first time since November 29, the Ouachita Tigers (10-7, 6-5 GAC) boast a conference record over .500. The Tigers downed the Muleriders of Southern Arkansas (6-11, 2-9 GAC) on Saturday afternoon, capping off a four game home stand, of which they won three. The Tigers won by a score of 68-61, due largely to their shooting percentage and defensive presence.
 
Although Southern Arkansas had a 7-4 advantage with 16 minutes left in the first half, the Tigers put together an 11-0 run, fueling them to a 15-8 lead. They were able to hold off a short rally from the Muleriders before stretching the lead to 12 points with a little over four minutes left in the half.
 
As the first half wound down, both teams continued to trade buckets, but a 35 point first half performance was enough to give the Tigers a 10 point lead at halftime.
 
The teams came out in the second half and neither was really able to put anything together to stretch, or cut into the Tiger lead. Ouachita found their stride with about 10 minutes left in the game though and extended their lead to 16 points. The Muleriders weren't able to really chip away at the Tiger lead much until about the 1:22 mark of the second half.
 
With a little over a minute left in the game, a fast break bucket from Southern Arkansas cut the Tiger lead to just eight. A scoreless possession from the Tigers resulted in a free throw make for the Muleriders, thus cutting the lead to seven. The Tigers were able to hold off the late rally attempt though, as they used great defense to cap off their seven point victory.
 
Eric Braeuer went off in the game, knocking in 18 points in a 7-of-12 performance from the floor. Austin Mitchell recorded 12 points in the game, most of which came from a string of three straight makes from downtown in the first half. Colt Fason added 10 to the Tigers' totals, just two days after recording a career high of 20 points against Henderson State.
 
Nigel Jones and Duke Reed led the way for the Muleriders, recording 15 and 12 points respectively. Jones also notched a team high eight rebounds, while Reed grabbed six of his own.
 
The Tigers forced 20 turnovers in the game while limiting themselves to just 15. A large part of the victory was the fact that they shot 41.5 percent from the floor, while holding Southern Arkansas to just 32.8 percent in the game.
 
Ouachita will hit the road for a two-game road swing, beginning with a match-up against Southeastern Oklahoma State on Thursday night. Tip-off in Durant is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
 
-Josh Fink, Sports Information Director