Box Score ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The Lady Tigers played in their first home conference game Thursday night at Bill Vining Arena. Despite a strong first half, Ouachita would fall 73-69 to the Southern Arkansas Lady Muleriders.
 
The Lady Tigers (0-6) came out hot in the first half, despite having to wait out a power outage that delayed the start of the game by over an hour. The Lady Tigers shot 37.5 % from beyond the arc and 46% from the field. Nashia James led the Lady Tigers in the first half with 14 points, going 6-8 from the field.
 
The Lady Tigers dominated the offensive glass in the first half, pulling down nine. Katie Kapler was a force in the paint defensively with two blocked shots, but was hampered by foul trouble early. Kapler played only nine minutes in the first half. Ouachita outscored SAU 12-4 in the paint, 10 of those points coming off second-chance attempts.
 
At halftime, the Lady Tigers led by six, 34-28.
 
Handcuffed by foul trouble in the second half, the Lady Tigers would see that lead slip away. Three Lady Tigers would foul out in the second half. The Lady Muleriders would take advantage of its 34 trips to the charity stripe in half number two, shooting 70.6%. Southern Arkansas would also get a big lift from its bench, scoring 26 of the team's 45 second-half points.
 
Despite losing three starters, the Lady Tigers would scrap and claw their way back into the game. Down 12 with 5:34 left to play, Ouachita would go on a 7-0 run to cut the lead to five and trail 65-60 with 3:29 left. Kaylen Taylor and Nashia James would force turnovers to bring the Tigers within three but the clock expired on a missed half-court heave by Katherine West. The Lady Tigers would fall 73-69.
 
James led the Lady Tigers with 17 points. Ashley Johnson scored 13 and led Ouachita with nine rebounds. Breanna Harris scored 13 and Elise Holman went 5-6 from the field to score 10.
 
Chanel Miller led the Lady Muleriders with 18 points.